The Stage

The Stage turns an exterior wall into an abstract set for a play.

The Stage by Felix St. Fort. Photo by Steve Weinik.

The Stage by Felix St. Fort. Photo by Steve Weinik.

About the Project 

The arts scene in Philadelphia bubbles over with talent and tenacity, and theater is no exception. The historic Drake building in Center City is home to wildly original performances, many of them written by local, living playwrights. Now the Drake is also home to a new mural from artist Felix St. Fort, inspired by the space’s long history of creative vitality and cross-disciplinary work. The Stage turns an exterior wall into an abstract set for a play, complete with 42 lines of text from plays written by playwrights with connections to the Drake. This project honors the past while looking toward the bright future of the New Play movement, enlivening Hicks Street with warm tones and color shifts that make all of Philadelphia an audience.

Before
After

Funders 

City of Philadelphia
InterAct Theatre Company
SHS Philanthropic Fund of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia

Project support made possible by the following InterAct Theatre donors: Lisa Wershaw & Steve Engelmyer, Phil Straus & Margaret Harris, Gayle & David Smith, Louis Bluver, Anonymous, Kenneth Pearlstein, Marc Gelman

Partners 

InterAct Theatre Company
PlayPenn
Simpatico Theatre
Inis Nua Theatre Company
Azuka Theatre
Philadelphia Historical Commission
Philadelphia Preservation Alliance
Forest City Residential Management