You're today's big winner! You might not think so because we skipped The Weekender, but you seriously need to rest up for next week:

>>>Today, and through August 29: New York Fringe, if you're New York way. The New York Times gives an overview of their festival. After checking it out, come home into our loving arms and tell us how great we are, and how you won't leave us ever again. We'll forgive you.

>>>Sunday: In high school, I skipped the New York Math League finals to go to my prom. Looking back, it was the wrong decision. Anyway, need a date for Sunday night? Let's go to Brat Productions' music video shoot. In October, they're doing a comedic adaptation of Carrie—yes, that Carrie—and upstairs at RUBA is going to be all 1979-styled prom night. We'll be extras, and yes, the bar will be open. Erik Ransom (pictured), the star, has written a theme song for the show, and the Scott Johnston-shot video will get out into the world next month. Like Ol' Dirty Bastard, you wanna see some blood, right? RSVP on Facebook, or by email to rsvp@bratproductions.org. 9:00 pm, RUBA Hall, 414 Green Street, Northern Liberties.

>>>Monday: Boom, Philly Fringe preview night is back at Plays and Players on Monday, and each Monday until the Festivals start. This week's lineup:
Mindless Drivel from Reap Productions
Hear Again Radio Project
The Play "Ben" from the Historical Theatre Acting Group
Sephro from Quinn Compositions
Between Trains from Gas & Electric Arts
The preview takes place at Plays and Players, 1714 Delancey Place, Rittenhouse Square. $12.

You think that's it? Friend, you're sadly mistaken. Click "more" and Josh McIlvain will pitch you on his FUNdraiser, find out about the next free film in the Dance series, and, um, more!

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Have you ever thought, "Why doesn't somebody combine locally sourced community dinners with arts funding?" No? Neither have I.

But the folks at Philly Stake did. On September 19, they'll host the first of a series of roving dinners (this one's at People Employing People) to raise money for micro-grants to support Philadelphia arts and culture.

The way it works:
>>>Starting today, artists can submit proposals to Philly Stake.
>>>The first 15 proposals that meet their criteria will get to pitch their projects.
>>>Artists present at a community dinner.
>>>Diners spend $10 to $20 for a sliding scale ticket to dinner (cash only, they say).
>>>Diners hear out the presenters, and vote for the one they like best.
>>>Whomever gets the most votes gets all the money raised by the dinner.

That's it! Looking for small-scale funding, or want to have a voice in a giving a grant while eating a tasty meal? Check out Philly Stake.

--Nicholas Gilewicz

Social activist, cultural gadabout and producer, photographer, and all-around awesome guy and longtime friend-of-the-Festivals JJ Tiziou has relaunched his website. If you know JJ, you know that he's committed to Philadelphia's cultural scene, social justice here and abroad, and, generally speaking, a communitarian approach to cultural production.

So, go to jjtiziou.net to peep the redesign, and take a survey about how you think JJ and the site should continue to engage their respective communities. Understanding audiences is vital—without understanding you we can't engage you—and JJ is even more committed than most artists.

And if you give him your feedback (do it now!) you'll be entered to win an all-access pass to the 2010 Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe. Drawing is Friday, so hurry! If you win, you can challenge me and Brett Mapp to see who can make the most shows this year.

--Nicholas Gilewicz

You're an actor. You're asked to act in a new play. You're given the full script. But all you know about its creation is that it has more than one writer, local playwrights whom you may or may not know, whose work you may or may not like, but whose names you're not given. Your only rehearsals are for your lines, and you rehearse them only with the director, one-on-one.

You do not know who your fellow actors are, until they step out of the audience and join you on stage.

Welcome to Anonymous Theatre.

"It's fun to watch the train wreck," says Richard Kotulski, "but it's even more fun to be a part of it."

After the jump: playwrights are sadistic, and Uncle Vanya meets Viola.

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This is the weekend to pick up your copy of the Festival guide—we've sure got a lot of 'em.

Friday:
>>>For August's First Friday, Live Arts used to always throw a huge BBQ bash at our Old City offices to celebrate the release of the Festival guide. Now we live a bit too far north to entice First Fridayers, but you'll be sure to see us hanging out on the corners in Old City from 6 - 8 PM this Friday evening handing out guides. Stop by, say hi, and pick one up so you can be in the know about this year's lineup. We're still recruiting volunteers for the effort, so if you're interested and able to join us, look for our "home base" at the NW corner of 2nd and Market Streets!

Saturday:
>>>Everyone could use a little empowerment. The Leeway Foundation's Women's Empowerment Summer Film Fest is showing five free films about influential women, from immigrant women in LA petitioning for rights for sweatshop workers to a Texas teenager campaigning for sex education in schools.
>>>At Images of Philly in the Summer: An Image Theater Workshop, Theater of the Oppressed will lead you through exercises to create human still lifes representing Philly summers—how will they capture swampy humidity?

Saturday and Sunday:
>>>Didn't catch us at First Friday? We'll have a table at the Clark Park farmer's market on Saturday and at the Headhouse farmer's market on Sunday. Pick up some fresh produce and a guide!

Sunday:
>>>The 2nd annual Philadelphia Alternative Comic Con will host more than 60 local and national comic geeks—I mean enthusiasts—at the rotunda, with an afterparty at West Philly comics store Locust Moon.

--Ellen Freeman

Photo by Ellen Freeman

There's no such thing as just an 'event' going on this weekend—everything is now a festival. Hey, I don't mind as long as they're all free!

Thursday – Sunday:
>>>The Black Women's Arts Festival will feature readings, performances, parties, and more, all celebrating the work of black women. And yes, even you white males are welcome.

>>>Pack a picnic and take the whole family to enjoy Shakespeare in Clark Park's free performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Saturday:
>>> It's not often that there are free, all ages events where face painting and the petting zoo don't get the highest billing. The Mad Decent Block Party at 12th and Spring Garden might have those things (they're certainly hyping the dunk tanks) but it's also got Diplo, Kid Sister, The Deathset and Blaqstarr. Sounds sorta better than decent . . .

>>>Did you know that July 31st is National Dance Day? Neither did we, but you can act like you did by joining Philly Dance Fitness for seven free workshops with LindyAndBlues, Messiah Dance Works, and Major Moment Studio. There's guaranteed to be at least one style you've never tried.

Sunday:
>>>We'll be down the street enjoying the live local music, moon bounce, venders, and, oh yeah, four beer gardens at the NoLibs 2nd Street Festival. Stop by our table and say hi!

--Ellen Freeman

A secretary of state and a queen met in Philadelphia last night, but it was no political summit. Condoleezza Rice and Aretha Franklin performed together at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts to raise money for the Mann's educational programs. One of the perks of being a Hurford Humanities Center intern is that sometimes you get free tickets to things, which is especially great when the bill boggles your mind like this one. And if a duet between Condoleezza Rice and Aretha Franklin seems unusual—well, that's probably the best word to describe last night's performance.

Read all about it after the jump:

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Why is it that the second installment in a series doesn't live up to the first? I may be treading on dangerous territory by saying this, but Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was the most boring book in the series, ditto the movie version of Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers—don't even get me started on New Moon. Whatever your opinion, the sophomore effort—however great the series—can be disappointing, and Wawapalooza, IdRatherBeHere's hilarious series of videos and sketches that have lovingly examined Philly's particular brand of crazy for the last three years at the Philly Fringe, wasn't immune to this effect.

"At a show the second year a sketch just dived," says Eric Balchunas, creator/writer/director of this year's iteration of the Fringe show Wawapalooza 4: Damaged Goods. "There's nothing like sitting backstage and hearing people not laughing when you expect laughs. It hurts."

Eric has a pretty foolproof plan to prevent that from ever happening again. At his job as a financial analyst he takes raw data and makes something with meaning out of it. It may seem like there's nothing funny about that, but creating a comedic show, as it turns out, isn't so different from crunching numbers.

"People need to have at least one drink, they need to be sitting close together, and there needs to be air conditioning," he says of the three essential factors for successful comedy. "That gives the material a head start."

In terms of tracking audience response, IdRatherBeHere uses techniques a lot more sophisticated than the old laugh-o-meter. Eric sets up a focus group to screen the show a month before the festival, with a cross-demographical audience that watches and ranks the material so that he knows what, if anything, to cut. "We try to figure out what's universally funny," he says. They also sent out a survey this year to audience members of the last three paloozas asking for feedback on not just the shows, but venues, too.

There is, of course, the most essential factor—material—but it seems like Eric's got that covered. Click more to read about it

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Last night as the sun was setting on one of the most paradisiacal days we've had in Philly this summer, I walked around the corner to peek at Shakespeare in Clark Park's dress rehearsal for their performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream. They were rehearsing what looked like a wedding scene (I've forgotten the plot since the Shakespeare unit in my high school English class) with live music, fairy lights, and a guy in a giant donkey head.



"I want to see the guy in the donkey costume! I can't wait for the play!" —Cute little girl at the park with pigtails.

Watching the dress rehearsal made me feel both metaphorically antsy to see the show, because I want to know what my roomate (SCP's intern) has been doing all summer, and literally antsy, because I was eating a lemon water ice on the ground at a park!

A Midsummer Night's Dream premieres tomorrow, July 28th at 7 PM and runs through August 1st at Clark Park in University City at Chester Avenue and 43rd Street (rain location: Curio Theatre, 48th Street and Baltimore Avenue). Bring your own chairs or picnic blankets, and the show is FREE.

It's hot. It's damn hot. Fool, you think I was born on the sun??? This weather bores and irritates me. Distractions, cometh!

Friday:
>>>Awww, Josh McIlvain, who's streamlined the production of the Festival Guide (soon to be in your hands!) is leaving us, again. Jerk. So we're taking him out for drinks. He'll be back for Philly Fringe, though—his SmokeyScout Productions will present Boat Hole, an evening of Josh's comedic short plays, at the Performance Garage September 15 through 18.

Saturday:
>>>Here's something to do outside! Because when the heat index says the world will feel like 108 degrees, outside is the jam! So: Sun Ra Arkestra with Scorch at "the green space behind the Walnut Street Free Library." You know Sun Ra Arkestra. You should know Philadelphia Fire Arts, who produced SimpLaFire last year at the Piazza (and came by the bar once in a while for impromptu shows in the parking lot that were awesome). They return to 2010 Philly Fringe with their show Scorch, which is also what will happen to you on Saturday. 6:00 pm.

>>>If space is not the place for you, then hit up the First Person Arts BBQ and Grand Story Slam at the Painted Bride. Oops! BBQ side is sold out. Move fast if you want slam tix.

Sunday:
>>>Punk Rock Flea Market (we'll be there with a table come say hi!). From this week's R5 newsletter: "Someone once told us that some crazy weird men magazine like Details listed it as a top place to meet women. So if you cant find anything to buy, maybe shop for a girlfriend." 461 North 9th Street, weird unnamed post-/quasi-industrial/concert venue neighborhood (Callowhill?), Philadelphia. 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, $3 suggested donation.

--Nicholas Gilewicz

Photo stolen without permission from Josh McIlvain's Facebook page, and poorly doctored by Nicholas Gilewicz