PhillyVoice • December 12, 2024

'Dragula' contestant Pi hopes Philly will grow its 'arsenal' of drag stars on TV

With cartoony aesthetics and a sense of childhood whimsy, Philly drag artist Pi brought a playfulness to Season 6 of the twisted, gross-out competition show "The Boulet Brothers' Dragula" on Shudder. Though the performer only placed fifth after literally being iced out of the race, the experience allowed them to reflect on their creative identity and contemplate their next career steps.

PhillyVoice • December 11, 2024

SEPTA releases redesigned app with improved trip planning and real-time info

Transit riders can download a new version of the SEPTA mobile app, which the authority said provides a more accessible travel experience with better real-time information. Lex Powers, the transit authority's director of service information design, said the updated tool — which immediately displays a map upon opening it — will be easier to use for travelers who are new to SEPTA.

PhillyVoice • December 9, 2024

'Beastieball,' a Philly native's new video game, features a 'goofy' character based on Gritty

Video game creator Greg Lobanov left Philadelphia for Vancouver almost a decade ago, but the city's monumental sports culture never left him and that passion was used as inspiration on his latest project "Beastieball."

PhillyVoice • October 25, 2024

All year, this East Passyunk artist has chronicled the lives of Philly residents through a collaborative, online diary

An East Passyunk artist has been documenting the lives Philadelphians through an online diary all year – and her project won't stop when 2024 ends. Molly Gorelick, 27, is the creator of "A Year in Philadelphia," a website that runs daily entries from city residents detailing their days, generally in an hour-by-hour format with photos.

PhillyVoice • October 10, 2024

'UFO 50,' one of the best video games of the year, took 8 years to make – and a Philly-area developer had a hand in it

One of the most beloved video games released this year is a collection of 50 retro-inspired games that took nearly a decade to make — and a developer in the Philadelphia region was one of the major creative forces behind it. "UFO 50," released Sept. 18 on the Steam platform, is the fifth-best reviewed game of the year based on the Metacritic review aggregator.

PhillyVoice • October 9, 2024

How South Jersey indie game developer Mike Strollart turned a hobby into a living

A game about mining dwarves that Mike Strollart started with friends went on to earn more than $40,000 in a crowdfunding campaign that caught the attention of several publishers, causing the South Jersey developer to realize that not all big companies in the industry are "blood-sucking vampires."

PhillyVoice • September 2, 2024

After 50 years, People's Light theater company is still focused on connecting with the community

People's Light is reaching a landmark 50 years of history, and the Malvern theater company is viewing its upcoming season as a party. Five productions and numerous social events are planned for the season, and People's Light Artistic Director Zak Berkman said all of the events will demonstrate the company's place as a hub for live arts and community engagement.

PhillyVoice • August 6, 2024

A city councilmember believes Philly can become a hub for video game industry

Philadelphia isn't known as a prominent technology and video gaming hub, but City Council Majority Whip Isaiah Thomas wants to change that.

PhillyVoice • August 6, 2024

How Nick Roessler built a community from developing a poker combat video game on 'Warcraft III'

When Nick Roessler was playing around with an editing tool in "Warcraft III," he didn't expect to create something that would amass a following of over a thousand players. The founder of SkeleJelly Games — a small gaming studio named after his past online pseudonym — Roessler has built "Poker Warlords," which combines betting with combat from virtual armies.

PhillyVoice • July 22, 2024

As the video game industry teeters, a Philly-area expo shows stability with growing, passionate crowds

Video game companies have recently suffered massive layoffs, and the industry's largest convention was laid to rest last year. But the bustling of this summer's TooManyGames convention showed that the Philadelphia region is an unexpected site of passion and enthusiasm for playing and making games.TooManyGames goes back 20 years, and this year's show on June 28-30 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks had a record-high attendance of over 23,000 people, according to organizers.

PhillyVoice • July 19, 2024

A 20-foot-tall inflatable IUD named Freeda visits City Hall to promote access to birth control

A hard-to-miss demonstration for protecting birth control rights was set up at Philadelphia's City Hall on Friday morning. Nonprofit group Americans for Contraception has been touring a giant inflatable IUD named Freeda (short for Freeda Womb) around the United States to warn about legislation that could threaten contraception access.

PhillyVoice • June 5, 2024

UArts students, faculty grieve, rally and scramble to find a path forward

As the fallout from the abrupt closure of the University of the Arts continues, students, faculty and staff members marched to express their discontent with the administration.A coalition of demonstrators led by United Academics of Philadelphia (UAP), the local chapter of the American Federations of Teachers union (AFT), marched on Broad Street on Wednesday morning from Hamilton Hall to 15th and Market streets, where the university's board chair Judson Aaron has a law office.

PhillyVoice • May 31, 2024

Philly Dyke March is back for Pride Month, but a schism spawned a new event with a similar purpose and name

After a five-year hiatus, the Philly Dyke March returns Saturday morning for the first weekend of Pride Month. But it won't be the only event that will be using that name to reclaim the derogatory term toward lesbians.

PhillyVoice • May 27, 2024

TooManyGames hopes to keep growing in return to Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in June

The Greater Philadelphia area will have no shortage of video games this summer. The TooManyGames convention, which began 20 years ago, is back and bigger than ever.

PhillyVoice • April 26, 2024

Pro-Palestine protesters at Penn encampment join demonstrations occuring at other campuses

A group of college students have set up an encampment at the University of Pennsylvania to protest the war in Gaza, joining the movement taking place at college campuses throughout the United States.

PhillyVoice • April 23, 2024

Sapphira Cristál reflects on her favorite 'Drag Race' outfits and her love for Philly

Sapphira Cristál technically didn't win "RuPaul's Drag Race" Season 16, but she won in many other ways.

PhillyVoice • April 4, 2024

A theater company known for Dungeons & Dragons improv comedy finds a permanent home

It's easy to tell from Josh Holober-Ward's energy and enthusiasm that he's been doing improvisational comedy since he was a teenager. During an interview at the Adrienne Theater in Rittenhouse Square, Holober-Ward raved about the progress he and his friends made in revamping the venue for SideQuest Theater, a performance company he co-founded.

PhillyVoice • March 28, 2024

Baby's Kusina and Market will bring Filipino food with a twist to Brewerytown

Raquel Dang wanted to pull from her roots when coming up with the offerings at Baby's Kusina and Market, which is opening soon in Brewerytown, but the first-generation Filipino American also wanted the food to reflect her personal experience. "There are Filipino flavors in the food, but my experience is different from someone who grew up in the Philippines," Dang said.

PhillyVoice • March 27, 2024

Philly filmmaker's first movie turns package theft into a horror story

For many people, package theft is an inconvenience. But in an independent film shot in Philadelphia, it's the source of true horror.

PhillyVoice • March 7, 2024

Philly comedians to go head-to-head in March Madness-style one-liner contest

While basketball fans have to wait a couple more weeks for March Madness, anyone looking for a laugh can find entertainment in One Liner Madness this weekend.