General entrance at rear left. Handicap ramp at rear right. THE ROTUNDA IS A SMOKE-FREE, ALCOHOL-FREE VENUE.
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ALL IDEAS (VIA PUBLICITY, CONTENT OF EVENTS, ETC.) EXPRESSED BY PERFORMERS, PROMOTERS, EDUCATORS, CURATORS, VOLUNTEERS, AND OTHER PARTICIPANTS IN EVENTS OCCURRING AT THE ROTUNDA DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE MISSION OF THE ROTUNDA, THE FOUNDATION COMMUNITY ARTS INITIATIVE, OR THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA.
WE WORK DILIGENTLY TO FACILITATE A SAFE AND RESPECTFUL FORUM FOR EXPRESSION AT THE ROTUNDA.
We generally book Thursdays-Sundays 3-6 months in advance, and weeknights 1-2 months in advance. We •occasionally• have cancellations or open slots with less advance notice.
We book public events only. We do not book private events or parties/socials.
Love The Rotunda? Hate The Rotunda?
This survey's goal is to profile the people who attend/perform at/organize Rotunda events, while gaining feedback from them. With the results, we will have concrete evidence of The Rotunda's impact on art, culture, and community. At the same time, the results will help us to understand what we're doing well and what we need to improve.
Please take the survey, pass the link to friends and have them take it as well, etc. There are hard copies available on the front desk at The Rotunda, for the web-less. We can also mail or fax blank surveys to those interested in participating.
The Collective Imprints art installation is a collectively-produced work of visual art that celebrates the life and history of The Rotunda, local history and folklore, and visions for future neighborhoods and communities.
This piece will remain on permanent display at The Rotunda (in a most interesting place), reminding audiences and performers that The Rotunda is a vital connector that inspires genuine dialogue and social change.
Collective Imprints, the first project of its kind in Philadelphia, is unique in that it employed dialogue, movement, music-making, and holistic collaboration from all participants. The general public was welcome to brainstorm, move, make music, draw, paint, and collaborate on designs. Never before has such a long term multi-faceted and inclusive project been open to the general public in this city. We believe that future projects will be born of this, fostering long lasting connections between disparate communities.
Collective Imprints was conceived in early 2007 by, among others, local community artist, muralist, and activist Michael B. Schwartz, and launched its first collaborative session on November 6, 2007. The work did not stop until the paint was dry last week.
The project started off with eye-opening and inclusive conversations about notions of belonging, place, community, activism, The Rotunda's mission, the arts, power of the people, and more. We also brought movement into the work as we explored new ways of brainstorming, using exercises shared by West Philadelphia multi-faceted artist Jodi Netzer. In addition, Bill Feiger, of Stares to Nowhere and other local acts, shared his musical instruments from around the world as we used sound and music to evoke even more ideas.
Shortly thereafter, we began to draw and paint images based on ideas spawned during conversations and movement exploration. Nearly 150 people participated, seeking to strengthen connections within the greater Rotunda community while building a sense of ownership and interconnectivity to the surrounding area.
Participants ranged from 5 year old school children to college students, teachers, doctors, professors, truck drivers, homemakers, and much more. On Martin Luther King, jr. Day alone, nearly 80 people spent their Day of Service working on Collective Imprints!
Support for this project was provided in part by The Puffin Foundation Ltd. and the 40th Street Artist-in-Residence program.
Every Monday, join us in the practice of Yoga instructed by Maryte Curran.
Maryte teaches Vinyasa Yoga, which means movement is matched to the breath. The class also includes guided meditation. This class is perfect for both beginmers and people who have some yoga experience. We welcome all shapes, ages, and anyone who is looking to achieve spritiual and physical fitness.
The requested fee is $10.00 per class. A large portion of each class payment will be donated directly to Rotunda programs.
Maryte was first introduced to Hatha Yoga 9 years ago. Two and a half years ago, she became more consistent, practicing on a daily basis. In May 2006, she completed a teacher training workshop at Studio B in Northern Liberties, and is continuing to take yoga workshops.
Shot x Shot is a Philadelphia quartet that has forged a distinctive sound through five years of steady collaboration. Their work is based in collective improvisational compositions that run the gamut from delicate to ruthless. The band was formed in 2004 while the members were students at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. They began performing at local venues and gradually extended their range to include New York, Boston, Chicago, Montreal and other major cities. Shot × Shot has performed alongside Peter Brötzmann, Jeb Bishop, Chicago Luzern Exchange, Peter Evans, Jack Wright and Pete Robbins among others. In 2007, the band showcased at South by Southwest. Shot × Shot's self-titled live debut (High Two, 2006) was heralded in the pages of Downbeat, The Wire, Signal to Noise, All About Jazz-NY, and other publications. The Village Voice and All About Jazz-NY listed the album among the top debuts of 2006. Shot × Shot's second album Let Nature Square, their first studio recording, is due to be released by High Two in May 2008.
LENI is a Philadelphia-based sound artist also known as Kevin Lenihan. Leni began exploring layering sound while a college DJ at WXYC in Chapel Hill, NC. Then he acquired a sequencer and some effects and began to make his own experimental electronic music and collaborating with friends. Without a traditional musical background Leni takes influence from non-musical sources like photography as well as artists like Steve Reich, Brian Eno, Boards of Canada, Black Dice and Yellow Swans to name a few. In 2005 Leni's song "Up and Over" was featured on a compilation for the Broken Fader Cartel record label. After a year of living, studying and soaking up experimental music in Europe, Kevin returned to the USA and moved to Philadelphia. 2007 brought the release of Leni's first album Radical Party, a collage of electronica, ambient, and noise music. Currently Leni is working on a collection of improvised ambient pieces entitled "The Polyps".
SOENG is Ben Fleury-Steiner's experimental, anti-guitar noise project. Various preparations are taken to convert the electric guitar into a vehicle for creating new electro-acoustic landscapes or "ecosystems." This is accomplished by "playing" various guitars "magnetically" by rubbing various metal objects on other such objects magnetized to the instrument's pickups. One string-less guitar is converted into a wonderful creaky, metallic sounding "electric license plate." Volume blasts and low-end caterwaul are created with a pry-bar magnetized and lifted up and down onto a pick-up. Minimal, chimey notes are heard from the plucking of string pressed against metal. Building drones emerge from the convergence of everything through various hardware effects and ebow. The end result is hymns of distant machines, the whir of turbines, and vibrations of distant engines.
TRUE COLOUR OF BLOOD's (Eric Kesner) music can best be described as "Ambient" or "Dark Ambient" but manages to break even the rules (if there are any such thing) of those genres by making music with only guitars instead of the usual array of synths and samplers. Beginning in 1997, TCOB started recording using only guitar, drum programming, tape manipulation and a 4 track. His methods remain surprisingly low-fi and in a live context he uses no computers or samplers only guitar and effects boxes. TCOB has released music on Manifold Records, Afe, Eibon, and has a new disc forthcoming on Gears of Sand.
Improvisational theatre based on personal stories, told by audience members in the moment..come tell, listen, and watch!!
What's in your heart when you consider peace and justice?
What's your vision for what's possible for our city and neighborhoods?
How have you been impacted by peace and/or violence?
What are the seeds you are sowing?
A portion of the money raised from this show will go to support a series of playback theatre trainings in June 2008 in Serbia and Bosnia.
Ruder Than You's CD release of "God's Ghetto"
Joe's Garage is a 1979 rock opera by Frank Zappa. The album follows "Joe," a stereotypical garage band youth who unintentionally journeys through the stench of the music business, and is narrated by the "Central Scrutinizer" who haunts Joe's psyche with McCarthyistic 50s-era discouragement and "scrutiny." The major themes of the story include groupie migration, mockery of Scientology, appliance fetishism, garage bands, and above all censorship of music as an art form.
Winter is finally over and it's time to bust out the summer threads. Only problem is, you spent all your dough on your gas bill and rain boots. Square Rootz has the remedy! Clean out your closets; fill a bag with the clothes, shoes, purses and accessories you don't wear anymore. You know those jeans that never did fit right, the sweaters you can't believe you bought and that skirt you haven't worn in years. Come over to the Rotunda, and trade them in. Shop for "new to you" threads and get advice on how to work and twerk them by stylist extraordinaire Jeneen Talbert. Spend the day shopping and styling. Refreshments will be served.
MORE EVENT INFO IS COMING SOON!
Usually unspooling double or triple features, Philly based film director Andrew Repasky McElhinney screens rare treasures from his collection on the giant "screen" at The Rotunda the second Thursday of every month.
The Philadelphia Science Fiction Society (PSFS) conducts open business meetings and welcomes guest speakers coming from the realm of Sci Fi and Fantasy. PSFS is a non-profit organization that meets monthly to discuss and promote science fiction and fantasy in literature, the arts, and popular culture.
was conceived and developed by Executive Producer, Penni Gould, a singer/actor who grew frustrated with the aloof Philadelphia theater/cabaret culture and decided to take matters into her own hands by creating the perfect "performer centered" venue. She and her long time friend, noted pianist and Musical Director, Carla Mariani decided to embark on the project together, combining their unique creative talents to develop a totally new theatrical concept: "self-esteem enhancing theater".
At Melange Theatre, "Live", it's all about the performer. The theater company exists to promote the careers of its participants and to spoil them with total attention to their needs...a "first" to be sure. After a nurturing audition, participants are invited to perform whenever they need or want to. No hassles, no hoops, no limitations, no bottom line except for allowing entertainers the freedom to do what they do best--entertain!
Melange Theatre, "Live" was founded and created to provide talented people with a stage on which to experiment, gain exposure, develop or maintain a following, network with other east coast entertainers, gain publicity, market merchandise, and maintain a performance level in times of "performance famine"... In short, to have a great time performing in a no stress, non-competitive environment. At the heart of Melange Theatre's philosophy is the rationale that talent needs to be valued, respected, nurtured, encouraged and given the opportunity to mature, develop and grow without financial encumbrance; A tall order for today's profit intensive theatrical environment.
At Melange Theatre, "Live", the magic happens fueled solely by the energy of pure bliss that comes from producing something important and beneficial without a profit motive. This is truly "theater for the joy of theatre". The talented professionals that perform at Melange Theatre, "Live" come from all over the country and the world. They are from diverse backgrounds and levels of experience, but they all have one thing in common: extreme talent and the burning desire to entertain.
As one of the oldest series at The Rotunda, GATE showcases the newest in music and more. Featured is live music (of local, national, and international artists) from such genres as ambient, experimental electronic, free improv, found sounds, field recordings, IDM, tech-ambient, noise, post-rock, psychedelic, dark ambient, hard-to-define sounds and new music styles, and neo classical.
In addition to music, video art, oil projections, slides, 16mm films, performance art, interactive presentations (such as those from MIDI jumpsuits or audience participation), visual art, and more can be found at a single GTMBA event.
GATE serves as one of the most cherished monthly events of its kind, not only for the talent that it showcases, but also for the community it fosters, as musicians delving into new music can interact with and learn from each other.
GATE (originally named Gate to Moonbase Alpha)is the creation of Aharon Varady, who moved out of Philly a few years ago. Aharon also created The Philadelphia Ambient Consortium, which offers numerous resources for fans and artists of ambient and other experimental genres and subgenres. Nowadays, GATE is curated by Scott Cole.
An effort to develop the youth talent in the Philadelphia area by mentoring young poets in the art of performance and slam poetry, giving the youth an opportunity to perform on a national level as representatives of Philly in the National Youth Poetry Slam.
This will include workshops, support, instruction, and supervision by recognized local talent to prepare the Philly team. The mission is to bridge the generation gap for performance poetry by connecting veteran performers, producers, and musicians with the talented youth of the city who are anxious to carry on the torch by continuing the legacy of their predecessors.
Youth must be 13-19 years of age to participate.
This chapter is a diverse group of holistic parents from across the city of Philadelphia, welcoming all area moms (and dads) with an interest in natural health and mindful parenting.
This group's goal is to develop a dynamic and thriving local community of holistic parents with a wide range of interests and to explore a variety of topics related to holistic living and parenting. This chapter was created in July 2004 and has since grown into a wonderful community!
Interested moms and dads are invited to attend a trial meeting to learn more about this community.
Dads, grandparents, partners, and other caregivers are also welcome as members. Even future parents will find that this organization is a great place to learn and make new friends! Moms-to-be and new moms are encouraged to attend, ask questions, and seek to be informed.
Established in 1997, The Gathering is the longest-running Hiphop event in Philly, and welcomes b-boys/b-girls, pop-lockers, emcees, graffiti writers, DJs, men, women, and children of all ages to enjoy this organic, community-based celebration of Hiphop.
DJs spin Hiphop, breaks, and funk all night, and there are open cyphers, a tag wall, and a featured performance and graffiti panel each month.
Girls' DJ provides the technology (CD players, turntable, inputs for MP3 players), and wannabe DJs provide the music.
No experience required -- if you want to DJ, show up at 5pm to register for a 15-minute slot on the ones and twos, with graduates of the Girls' DJ 101 course providing expert guidance and sharing a trick or two with you.
Girls' DJ exists to boost positive participation in the music scene--so bring your favorite positive tunes. Please leave music that disrespects anyone on the basis of race, sexual orientation, gender, etc., at home. Instrumental versions of any songs welcome!
Come to DJ, come to hang out and have a good time, Girls' DJ style..
Founded in 2000, Ars Nova Workshop (ANW) is a Philadelphia non-profit 501(c)3 jazz and experimental music presenting organization. Ars Nova Workshop intentionally programs events and concerts in alternative spaces, showcasing divergent traditions/perspectives and challenging artistic ambitions. ANW acts as an intermediary between musicians/composers and their audience. We encourage the recognition and greater understanding Ð while contributing to the advancement - of progressive music, art and social movements.
Serving a broad and diverse audience, ANW events function as a catalyst for ideas, discourses and new trends in contemporary music and its practices.
Our focus includes recognizing the contributions of jazz, free jazz and other 20th century composers and improvisers, as well as the work of emerging musicians. Ars Nova Workshop seeks to be a vital cultural resource for Philadelphia and to serve constituencies beyond the area through collaborations, artist and tour support, and education.
Overall, ANW aims to provide an engaging and appropriate environment for musicians and composers; to inform, inspire, and challenge audiences; to actively attract new audiences; and to be an accessible resource that elevates the role of jazz and experimental music in contemporary culture.
Ars Nova Workshop has presented nearly 200 peculier events in Philadelphia including Dave Douglas' Witness, the Tomasz Stanko Quartet, "Interstellar Space is the Place" with Rashied Ali and Marshall Allen, and Peter BrotzmannÕs Chicago Tentet, among other unique musical collaborations from leading figures in contemporary music.
Ars Nova Workshop is the recipient of numerous awards and has been documented in the Philadelphia Inquirer, JazzTimes, and Wire Magazine.