TARTUFFE OPENS FRI FEB 20!

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MOLIÈRE’S TARTUFFE 

A new version by Bob Sloan. Directed by Josh McIlvain. Starring Dave Allison, Ciani Barclay, Deborah Crocker, Nathaniel Fishburn, Connor Hogan, Effie Kammer, Jess Otterbine, and Jennifer Summerfield.  Costumes by Adrianne Williams. Lighting Design by Charlie Forster Stewart.

The Kammerspiel announces the world premiere of a bold new adaptation of Molière’s Tartuffe, reimagined by Bob Sloan and directed by Josh McIlvain. This three-week engagement opens Friday, February 20, 2026, at the Performance Garage, with performances Friday through Sunday through March 8.

Often regarded as Molière’s greatest play, Tartuffe skewers hypocrisy, piety-as-performance, and the dangers of blind devotion. Riffing on the original vitality of Molière’s rhymed couplets, Bob Sloan’s adaptation positions Tartuffe squarely in two worlds at once by honoring the play’s classical roots while speaking with unmistakable contemporary candor. 

As our own moment feels increasingly shaped by figures who weaponize righteousness for personal gain, Tartuffe emerges as a play for right now.This production features the physically adventurous staging of director Josh McIlvain and a cast of stalwart Philadelphia actors, bringing mayhem, wit and urgency to the classic comedy. The staging embraces tableau, rhythm, and slapstick comedy, inviting audiences to experience the satire not just intellectually, but viscerally.

Nine performances only!

Venue: Performance Garage. 1515 Brandywine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130

Tickets are now on sale at performancegarage.org/performances.

SEE SLIDESHOW AT PHILLY FRINGE ENCORES MINI-FEST

The Yellow Bicycle Theater Nov 14–16 in Center City Philadelphia presents the 2025 Philly Fringe Encores mini-festival, the inaugural presentation of what’s to be a yearly festival.

Friday November 14 at 7pm

Saturday November 15 at 7pm

From the 1950s through the 1980s, the slideshow was a staple of the American household. SLIDESHOW drops audiences back into the time of Kodachrome colors, weaving a fictional family history around strangers’ real slides of long ago vacations. A funny, disturbing, and deeply felt work about the disconnection between the lives of children and those of their parents, SLIDESHOW recreates a lost ritual and delves into the aspirations of 20th-century American life.

Created and Performed by Josh Mcilvain

Desk Set

Words and Art by Luisa Colón, Original Score by Caleb Cliff, film editing, technical concept, and direction by Josh McIlvain. This film is meant to be shown to a live audience, so that the audience “reads” the story together, creating the sensation of a live, albeit silent reading, and a shared experience. Desk Set premiered at Nice and Fresh 2023, an evening of short works, November 2-4, 2023 at the Germantown Mennonite Church, Philadelphia.

The Return of Nice and Fresh

Nov 2-4, 2023

Germantown Mennonite Church, 21 W Washington Lane, Philadelphia

New work, new performances. Cheap. Automatic Arts presents the return of Nice and Fresh! New works of theater, dance, and other arts.

Friday Nov 3 at 7pm TICKETS

Thursday Nov 2 at 7pm TICKETS

Saturday Nov 4 at 6pm TICKETS

Saturday Nov 4 at 8pm TICKETS

Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant with Deborah Crocker and Effie Kammer. Written by John Rosenberg. Directed by Josh McIlvain. Two forty-something Disney fans plot a trip to Disneyland Paris.

Desk Set, words and art by Luisa Colón, original score by Caleb Cliff. A conversation, written on wood, is interrupted. (film)

old swan performed by Megan Mazarick. Choreography and text by Megan Mazarick. Music by Shit Robot. A dance that satirizes and breaks apart the TED Talk format .

Dog Walker with Laura Sukonick and Homer Robinson. Written and Directed by Josh McIlvain. A dog walker is beloved by the local community, but she can’t stop lying about what she’s done with the dog owner’s keys.

Hosted by David Burgess.

And other surprises!

Tickets $10 / funsavers-automatic-arts.ticketleap.com/niceandfresh/

old swan photo by Melissa Blackall. Art: Jasper Hawk

This performance is made possible in part with support by the Philadelphia Cultural Fund.

April 2023

Automatic Arts in partnership with The Kammerspiel present

THE MAIDS by Jean Genet

The Maids by Jean Genet.

Translated by Bernard Freshman

Directed by Josh McIlvain. Performed by Effie Kammer, Deborah Crocker, and David Burgess

Performed at the Historic WYCK House and Garden in Germantown, April 20-24. 2023

The Wyck House, 6026 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia

This performance was made possible in part with support by the Philadelphia Cultural Fund.

“The Maids” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc.www.concordtheatricals.com

PHILLY THEATRE WEEK

PRESENTS

HURT and other possibilities

The ride from hell. The Jesus boss. The uncle of darkness.

3 plays about bad relations and bad decisions written + directed by Josh McIlvain. Performed by Megan Thibodeaux, John Rosenberg, Peter Kochanek, Effie Kammer.

Plus BUZZ, a new film poem, makes its debut screening!

Thursday February 6 at 7Pm

Friday February 7 at 7pm

Saturday February 8 at 6pm and 8pm

BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW!

The McPherson Manor
on the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts Campus
6454 Greene Street (Mt Airy)
Philadelphia, PA 19119
Performers: Megan Thibodeaux, John Rosenberg, Peter Kochanek, Effie Kammer
Plus BUZZ a new film poem with poetry by John M McIlvain.
Lighting design by JJ Jury
VENUE MAP:

PLAY READING

A new full-length play by Josh McIlvain, Affection follows the adventures of Brie, who is both exploring the opportunities and discovering the limitations that divorce has brought her.

FREE! Monday July 1, 7:30pm
Maas Building, 1325 North Randolph St, Philadelphia, PA 19122

Actors: Karen DiLossi, Macy Davis, Nikitas Menotiades, Homer Robinson.

We’d love an audience for this reading, as your presence is super helpful in the development of this play.

Wild. Funny. Tragic.

BUY TICKETS!

It’s 2019, a theater company rehearses Medea, the ancient tragedy of marital discord, palace intrigue, gender politics, and murder. Set during one of the company’s final run-throughs, PURE MEDEA intertwines Medea’s revenge upon her husband with the smaller tragedies—and petty rivalries—of the modern-day actors’ personal and professional lives.

Saturday May 4 at 8pm
Sunday May 5 at 7pm
Monday May 6 at 7pm*

Thursday May 16 at 7:30pm*
Friday May 17 at 8pm
Saturday May 18th at 8pm
Sunday May 19 at 2pm

TICKETS ($12–$15): puremedea.brownpapertickets.com

Christ Church Neighborhood House
20 N. American Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19106
(By 2nd and Market Streets)

Run time: 110 minutes plus intermission.

*Postshow discussion with Dr. Sheila Murnaghan, translator of Medea, Norton Critical Editions (2018), and the Alfred Reginald Allen Memorial Professor of Greek at the University of Pennsylvania. Moderated by Christopher Munden, founder and editor, Phindie.com.

Medea by Euripides Translation by Sheila Murnaghan (W. W. Norton & Co, 2018). Performers Sophia Barrett, Josh McLucas, Hallie Martenson, Lauren Suchenski, Homer Robinson. Costume design Adrena Williams. Lighting design JJ  Jury. Concept, additional text, and direction by Josh McIlvain.

CHRIST CHURCH PARKING

PUBLIC:

Metered street parking is available on 2nd and 3rd streets (most are free after 630pm). Parking is prohibited on American St.

LOTS:

Park America lot on Filbert Street just behind Neighborhood House.  Receive $2 off parking fee with validation from Welcome Desk.  Valid any time.

Additional lots on 2nd St on either side of Market.

Photo by Ceilidh Madigan

Poster design by Guido Caroti