Walnut Street Theatre announces 218th season

Walnut Street Theatre, the nation’s oldest continuously operating theater and a National Historic Landmark, announced its 218th season of live productions, featuring five shows for the 2026–27 season.

The lineup marks the theater’s 44th season as a nonprofit producing company and includes a mix of musicals and plays ranging from family favorites to Pulitzer and Tony Award winners.

“In thinking about the 218th season, we wanted to create the perfect gift for our audiences,” Producing Artistic Director Bernard Havard said in a statement. “Each of these shows has the opportunity to become a defining example of excellent theater.”

The season opens Sept. 22 with The Addams Family: The Musical, which runs through Nov. 1. Disney’s Frozen: The Broadway Musical follows for the holiday season from Nov. 17 through Jan. 3.

In January, the theater will stage David Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Glengarry Glen Ross, running Jan. 12 through Feb. 14. Noël Coward’s comedy Present Laughter is scheduled for Feb. 23 through March 28.

The season concludes with the Tony Award-winning musical Come From Away, based on the true story of airline passengers stranded in Newfoundland after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. It will run from April 13 through May 30.

Season subscriptions are on sale, starting at $100 for all five productions. More information is available at WalnutStreetTheatre.org or by calling 215-574-3550.

‘Sing That Jawn’ amplifying next generation of voices

A new citywide high school vocal competition aimed at spotlighting young talent and expanding access to the music industry will launch in Philadelphia as part of the city’s lead-up to America’s 250th anniversary.

Sing That Jawn, created by community organization The Kickback Impact and its founder Mont Brown in partnership with the City of Philadelphia and the Ring It On! initiative, is open to high school students across the city. The program combines school-based auditions, live performances and professional mentorship with a goal of investing in arts education and career pathways.

“Philadelphia has always been a city of resilience, creativity and powerful voices,” Mayor Cherelle Parker said in a statement. “This initiative celebrates the next generation of Philadelphia’s artists and ensures their voices are heard and valued.”

The competition will begin with school recruitment and internal auditions this fall, followed by video submissions due Jan. 30. The top 30 students will be announced Feb. 6, with live competitions scheduled for Feb. 21 and May 2, when a winner will be crowned.

Along the way, selected students will receive vocal coaching, artist development workshops and mentorship from music industry professionals. Ten finalists, known as Youth Ambassadors, will advance to the grand finale.

The grand prize includes a $5,000 scholarship, a professional recording session, industry mentorship and media appearances. The winner’s school will also receive a $5,000 grant to support arts education.

DMVA offers free assistance with veterans’ benefits

The state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs is encouraging veterans to begin the new year by reviewing their benefits to ensure they are receiving all assistance they are entitled to.

Keith Graham, executive director of veterans programs and services, said changes in health, finances and recent laws can affect eligibility, including the federal PACT Act and Pennsylvania’s Act 27 of 2024, which expanded or protected benefits for many veterans.

More than 200 accredited veterans services officers across the state are available to help veterans apply for or review benefits at no cost. Veterans are advised never to pay for this assistance.

The department also urged veterans to safeguard key military records, such as discharge papers, which are needed to verify service. Pennsylvania is home to nearly 700,000 veterans.

Penn Museum to open exhibition of century-old Egyptian watercolors

The Penn Museum will debut Ancient Egypt in Watercolors: Paintings and Artifacts from Dra Abu el-Naga on Feb. 28, featuring 100-year-old watercolor paintings that document ancient Egyptian tomb art.

The exhibition highlights works by Egyptian artist Ahmed Yousef, created from 1921 to 1923 during Penn Museum excavations at Dra Abu el-Naga, part of the Theban Necropolis. Last shown in Cairo in the 1920s, the watercolors have never before been displayed in the United States.

The paintings reproduce wall scenes from New Kingdom funerary chapels (ca. 1550–1070 BCE), depicting daily life, religious rituals and beliefs about the afterlife. Some of the tomb paintings they document have since deteriorated or disappeared, making the watercolors the only surviving visual record.

The eight-month exhibition will also include nearly 60 rarely seen artifacts from the site, such as statuary, funerary objects, shabti figurines, canopic jars and 3,500-year-old bread loaves. Multimedia elements and two rotations of watercolor paintings are planned.

Ancient Egypt in Watercolors will remain on view through November, ahead of the December opening of the museum’s renovated Egypt Galleries: Life and Afterlife.

City unveils highway beautification project

Mayor Cherelle Parker and city and state officials announced the launch of the “Gateways to Philadelphia” highway beautification and anti-graffiti initiative along Interstate 76 and surrounding interchanges.

The $11.5 million project aims to improve key entry points into the city from the airport and 30th Street Station to Center City ahead of major 2026 events, including the nation’s 250th anniversary. Planned improvements include graffiti removal, wall and overpass painting, landscaping, litter cleanup and new public art.

Seven gateway locations are targeted, including areas near South Street Bridge, 30th Street Station, Vine Street interchanges and the 26th Street Gateway at Penrose Avenue.

That site will feature a large, 250th-themed mural overseen by Mural Arts Philadelphia.

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society will design and maintain new gardens and landscape features, including the planting of trees, shrubs, grasses and bulbs. Work began in fall 2025 and is scheduled to continue through May 2026.

Funding comes from city, state and philanthropic sources, with partners including PennDOT, Mural Arts Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and several local foundations.

Burgos introduces legislation to address statewide physician shortages

State Rep. Danilo Burgos introduced legislation that would create a supervised pathway for qualified international medical graduates to practice in Pennsylvania.

House Bill 2121, to be known as The Provisional Licensure Pathway for International Medical Doctors Act, would authorize the State Board of Medicine to issue provisional licenses to international medical graduates who meet rigorous standards, including Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates certification, verified foreign medical training or practice and English language proficiency.

Provisional licensees would be required to practice under supervision, with designated underserved areas and approved specialties.

“We’ve seen this model implemented successfully across other states,” said Burgos. “The bill has been designed to responsibly expand access to care while maintaining high standards of patient safety. We’re addressing critical physician shortages, especially in underserved and rural communities, by using qualified international medical graduates.”

The bill includes strong oversight provisions, annual reporting to the General Assembly and a clear pathway to full licensure upon successful completion of the provisional term and remaining requirements.

House Bill 2121 has been introduced in the House and is awaiting committee referral.

‘Après in the City’ at Attico Rooftop

The Junior League of Philadelphia will host a ski-themed winter fundraiser, Après in the City: A Snowed-In Social, on Feb. 21 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Attico Rooftop in Center City.

The event will feature an open bar, appetizers, ski-inspired activities, a silent auction and raffle prizes. Proceeds will support the organization’s programs focused on improving health and wellness, expanding access to nutritious food, and advancing opportunities for women and families in the Greater Philadelphia region.

Tickets are $125 and are available for purchase online.

Resolution recognizes Jan. 6 as ‘Democracy Observance Day’ in PA

On the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, four Pennsylvania House Democrats reintroduced a resolution to honor law enforcement officers who defended the Capitol and to establish an official day of remembrance.

State Reps. Malcolm Kenyatta, Roni Green, Danilo Burgos and Tarik Khan said the resolution would designate Jan. 6, 2026, as “Democracy Observance Day for Education, Remembrance, and Vigilance,” recognizing U.S. Capitol Police officers who protected lawmakers during the attack.

Kenyatta cited the actions of officers including Sgt. Harry Dunn and Officer Brian Sicknick and said the observance is intended to help prevent similar attacks in the future. He also criticized the pardoning of individuals involved in the attack and recalled a previous leg...

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