(upbeat music) - Hi, I'm Shirley Min.

Grab your popcorn and get ready for lights, camera, action.

You Oughta Know is next.

- I didn't know what to expect, so I was just kind of giving it my all.

- Philly's cooks take center stage in a reality TV show.

- The community's role in the production is something that I've also never really experienced.

- Theater X involves the neighborhood in its community theater.

From vintage radios to taxi cab doors, you never know what you'll find beneath the Arden Theater.

- One of our goals is to tell the stories of today.

- And we go behind the scenes of The Crossing Choir's new film.

(upbeat music) Hi everybody, I'm Shirley Min, and this week's You Oughta Know is coming to you from the Philadelphia Film Society Center.

The 35th Annual Film Festival is right around the corner and we'll get more on that later.

But first, we're kicking off a new season of shows, concerts, and plays with a choir that's making its voice heard.

The multi Grammy award-winning choir, The Crossing, uses music to tackle some of today's most pressing social issues and they're this week's hidden gems.

I want a monument.

This choir has a very unique and interesting way of picking music, topics, composers, texts that relate to the environment.

Sometimes they are political, sometimes they are about climate change or basic humanity.

You know, if we can't be activists out trying to change the world every single day, at least we can bring something to life in a very beautiful, musical way.

We are in a recording studio in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, and we're actually filming here today, which we've never done before.

And it's a piece called "How to Survive," and it's going to be an installation at the Fabric Workshop and Museum downtown.

It opens in mid-November and runs through January.

There is film of us singing on various screens and the piece is about natural disasters.

So we have four different composers who set the text of the creative mind behind this project who's Suzanne Bocanegra.

I started thinking about how they're going to look and what the visuals are going to be for this and so I started making these cast-off kind of ratty costumes from theater productions in New York.

In my head there's no more resources left on the planet so you have to use what's already been made.

So I thought cast-off theater costumes would be kind of the perfect metaphor for this group of people who are trying to come together and to console themselves and also to spread knowledge about how to survive in this end time world.

All right so shall we sing some tornado?

It is an instruction manual on how to survive four different types of natural disasters that are increasing in frequency.

There are wildfires, tornadoes, hurricanes, and earthquakes.

fire unlock your doors So firefighters can get inside more easily If you are trapped inside the door Okay, let's get the drum key, and we'll go to Hurricane.

It's like watching the little drummer boy freak out.

[laughter] If you find yourself In a hurricane, in a hurricane, hurricane Each one has their own composer.

There will be four movements to the piece when you go to see it.

So we won't actually be in the room, but we will be in the room because the film of us singing will be in the room.

It's a very different kind of singing than what I would do in an opera or in a lot of other choirs.

There's a sense of playfulness and discovery that you have to have about your singing in a group like this that I find really beneficial to carry out into the world.

If you become trapped, make tapping noises so rescuers can find you.

There is so much creativity and a special opportunity to give life to a new piece of music that no one in the world has heard before.

Because one of our goals is to tell the stories of today.

I think they're particularly rich and interesting when the stories are so immediate.

So a piece about natural disasters is a piece about us.

♪ If you are driving pull over to the side of the road♪ - Here's how you can learn more about the Crossing Choir's choral installation at the Fabric Workshop and Museum.

The Chester Children's Choir is also using music to affect change.

This year-long music and education program is laying the foundation for generations of students to succeed beyond the music.

♪ Ex-pialidocious, even though the sound of it is something ♪ ♪quite atrocious♪ ♪ If you say it loud enough you'll always sound precocious ♪ Super cali fragilistic expiali docious The Chester Children's Chorus really is very well-rounded.

It's about supporting the wholeness of the students that are a part of it.

My name is Daniel Peterkin.

I'm Skye.

Hi, I'm Aya.

My name's Kevin Downs.

And we are with the Chester Children's Chorus.

I take pride in being a member of the CCC because I'm being surrounded by so many other great musicians and I think that's been one of the greatest experiences for me is just having people.

I think singing together helps us collaborate, hear each other's voices, and kind of make a bigger connection.

The kids come in as third graders and if they're musically inclined they can stay with us all the way through their senior year in high school so we have kids that are graduating this year who have been with us for 10 years.

Most students stress about post high school plans and the CCC says we're gonna take that need and we're gonna pour as much into it as we can.

Having gone through 10 years of being a student and now I get to pour into the kids and be a math coach.

To see the smile on the kids faces when they understand something in math, things that I've experienced being a part of it, it's quite full circle and it's hard to put into words that feeling.

They have averaged over a year's worth of math progress.

You know those students who come to us in third grade who they might already be two, three years below where they should be.

Over the years that one to two year progress is eventually catching up and I see how our kids are multifaceted.

They like extracurricular activities, they like music, they like education, they like hanging out with their friends and that's everything that we provide here.

We have an after school PE program where they do different sports every week and I think that's just something that isn't available to a lot of our kids.

It's like one big family who loves to sing a lot.

You get to do the concerts and if you're not old enough to like be in the choir yet you can still get to see the concerts and see your older siblings perform.

They make it more exciting, not feeling like you're locked inside of a box all day.

You get to do gym, you get to do art, kind of all the same stuff you do in school, but you kind of get to pick what you want to do.

Being able to really feel like the CCC reaches all ends of Chester was great.

And then in my era, when things were tough, or when we're going through things as a community or as families or as individuals, the CCC was always there to lean on.

I think the CCC has done a great job of reminding the students you are just as important as any other child.

You have just as many gifts and as many abilities and a room and a place to be the best person that they can be.

I imagine decades from now the mission, the drive will be the same, to give students an opportunity to grow in a strong voice, strong mind, strong spirit.

[Music] We are spotlighting the Philadelphia Film Society's upcoming Film Festival next week.

And I'm here with CEO and Executive Director Andrew Greenblatt.

Andrew things are just a little bit busy around here with the 35th Film Festival coming up.

That they are.

Yeah, it's it's our busiest time of year.

The 11 days that kick off on the 15th.

We're going to be really exciting but a little a little crazy too.

And we didn't do ourselves any favors by starting two weeks early with Reel October.

Yeah, so we're in the midst of Reel October.

R-E-E-L.

Tell me about it.

So this year is a special one for us.

35 is kind of a magic number in film and in the industry.

And that's the festival we get to celebrate this year.

It's also the 25th anniversary of the Philadelphia Film Society.

To do something that, you know, noted both of those birthdays, we wanted to kind of own October.

So we felt that with the festival on the back half, we would start two weeks early and do Reel October, which is a showcase of, you know, curated films that we love, that we want to bring to Philadelphia all on 35 millimeter.

So I know people come to the festival year after year.

So how do you keep it fresh and new?

Well, for the most part, the films do that for us.

Every year has, you know, a different personality in film.

Sometimes there are, you know, more issue-based ones.

Sometimes they're just a reflection of what, you know, well-known or brand new filmmakers want to put out there into the world.

And we have the difficult yet exciting and probably envious job of watching a lot of film throughout the year, flying around the world to see a lot of these films, and bringing some of the best from around the world here to Philadelphia for Philadelphians to see it first.

So let's talk about some of the films and the filmmakers you're going to be showcasing.

There's about 115 features and then another couple dozen more short films.

There's a lot to choose from.

This year, that includes some of the bigger films coming out of Cannes, like Fjord, which won the Palme d'Or, or like Club Kid.

We have films like Josephine, which won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award in Sundance, a really high profile.

Wild Horse 9, which is a crazy, crazy film coming out of Venice.

Martin McDonagh, the director, who's done a ton of great films that have been in our festival.

The last one I think was The Banshee of Innishirin and Three Billboards.

But then younger filmmakers who are really blossoming.

A film like La Bola Negra, which premiered in Cannes, went on to just recently win the People's Choice Award in TIFF, usually a bellwether for award season.

And then we've got some world premieres coming out of our Filmadelphia category.

I think there's four this year.

And then, you know, just another hundred films on top of that.

Yeah, just a few.

Okay, so tell us where can we see the movies?

Let's talk about the schedule and also the price points are pretty inclusive.

Sure.

So for the last few years, we're always very excited to say that the festival takes place exclusively at Film Society venues.

So right here in the Film Society Center, and then in our two Old City theaters, the PFS Bourse, which we use two to three screens at, and the PFS East, which we use both screens for the run of the festival.

We kick off next week on October 15th with opening night, and then we run straight through to October 25th.

Generally, there's about five, sometimes six screenings every screening block.

There's, you know, four to five screening blocks a day.

So you've got a lot of choices that go throughout the festival.

You know, we try to be inclusive and make the festival accessible to all.

There are some free ticketing screenings through our PFF on Us program and in our State of the Union section.

You can go on the website and just reserve those tickets.

And then our matinees during the week from Monday to Friday, films prior to five come at a lower ticket price point.

So there's another way to see films.

Thanks so much for talking to us, Andrew.

We wish you lots of luck on the festival.

Thank you.

Here's how you can get your ticket to the 35th Annual Film Festival.

We had over a thousand people show up to find the best recipes.

Reality TV is on the menu at Recipe Philly.

There's a hidden world at Philadelphia's Arden Theatre filled with just about everything you can imagine.

I got a tour of this eclectic collection and met the woman who helps turn everyday objects into theatrical magic.

Audiences come to the Arden Theatre to see what's happening on stage.

But some of the real magic happens out of sight down here.

Welcome to the Arden's prop shop.

Although to say shop is probably an understatement.

This place is huge.

Kelly McLaughlin is the Arden's prop supervisor, which means she knows her way around this very big, very eccentric shop.

Yeah, let's go take a look at everything.

Need a lift?

Hop in!

Anyone need a hand?

Are the props that are down here mostly used for Arden productions?

Yes, definitely.

It's past productions, future productions, and then for renting.

A lot of this stuff was actually on the set for Good Neighbor Club at WHYY.

Uncle Mars had a big record collection, so that was really fun to bring in.

That's so cool!

A bunch of these TVs were on that set as well.

These funky coral and bright yellow TVs.

Oh, this is fun.

Yeah, I love this section.

We have lots of donors for the Arden and sometimes they will reach out and let us know they have some things that they'd like to give us.

This was my mom's suitcase set and I'd really like to see it go to a good home.

And you know, while you're looking for luggage and you need a headboard, you got it.

This was a big, giant cow patty.

It's poop!

It's poop!

Throw the poop at you!

Oh my god!

You were the actor in that scenario.

Let's come back here through the reeds into the Arden Forest.

This is our garden section.

We have some flowers back here organized by color, which is super helpful.

And then yeah, right into our book section.

This one I did actually make the cover for.

Did you even know what a phone book was?

Yes!

I was born in 2000.

My prop shop mainly houses all of my tools and materials needed to fabricate some props, as well as modify certain things before I bring it over to the rehearsal room for actors to touch.

From big ticket items like large pieces of furniture or lighting all the way down to small little labels put on bottles and things.

It really is just all about telling the story and it just adds to keeping it real, staying in the moment of where we are and helping with those little details get us there and tell the story.

Time's up.

Lawn chairs and blankets take the place of theater seats in this next production that brings the community and the arts together.

We are trying to bring a theater experience that is accessible via no cost via being in the neighborhood.

The thing about us doing shows here Malcolm X Park is that the park does not stop for us.

So kids are playing on the playground, the ice cream truck is going to go by, the dirt bikes are going to go by, kids are going to ride their bikes up across the stage.

And that's part of the magic of what we're creating because we want this to be something that is truly accessible.

For the audience, they feel free to talk back, to make noise, to break the traditional rules of theater and to be comfortable being in a space that is their experiencing art.

There are a bunch of people who are out here hours before we got here setting up lights, setting up the sound system, all of these elements that go together so that what we do on the stage is beautiful and wonderful.

I use my voice to tell stories.

You're checking out today's Midday Mix on WURD.

And costumes to tell stories.

I was always taught that radio is theater of the mind.

The way that I am sharing a character's story is by that nonverbal communication of their dress, how they adorn themselves.

The community's role in the production is something that I've also never really experienced before working with Theatre and the X because there's a neighbor who allows us to use their home.

We can go in there if we need to use the bathroom, we can store our personal stuff in there, they allow us to change clothes so the actors can go in there and get a respite in the intermission and they have been so integral into this process.

It's been amazing.

We're always trying to figure out how to support the arts in different creative ways and that feels really meaningful because what Theatre in the X does I think is so incredible.

It's such a model for so many other theatre communities around the city, the state, the country, so it just feels really lucky that there's a way that we can easily support them.

I am assistant stage manager and mostly my duties are to help out with the stage manager, whatever she might need.

I work mostly backstage.

I make sure the props are where they're supposed to be at.

That the actors are in their spot where they're supposed to go in.

But stay in it and all the way through project to the playground.

[MUSIC] Somebody, anybody sing the black girl's song.

Let her be born and handled warmly.

This is for colored girls who have considered suicide but have moved to the ends of their own rainbow.

- This next story serves up entertainment and food even your Nona would approve of.

(upbeat music) - When I won and made the menu, I just couldn't believe it.

I was over the moon.

I submitted my grandmother Norma's linguine and clams that my family made every Good Friday for 50 years.

My grandmother passed away in 2005, so we carried on the tradition and then I picked it up and I just make it every Good Friday now, even if the family can't get together.

I get emotional talking about her because I miss her so much.

- We were very fortunate when we put a casting call out, we had over a thousand people show up to find the best recipes to put in a live operating restaurant.

And what we found was all this diversification.

There's Vietnamese dishes, there's Italian dishes, there's Indian dishes on this menu.

And they're all representative of the varying neighborhoods that are around here.

I had heard that they were going to open a restaurant that featured a lot of local home grown recipes.

I'm born and raised in Philadelphia.

My family originally is from the Kensington section of Philadelphia.

Natalie is a perfect example.

This was her grandmother's sauce recipe and clam recipe, been passed down from generations and generations.

And she was just bubbly and excited for the opportunity.

Used all fresh ingredients, which we love, and just the joy she brought to putting it together.

I think I've perfected it over the years.

And it's honestly so easy to make and so simple.

And you can make it any night of the week, which is why it's a really good dish.

She had had the recipe written down, Norma's famous linguine and clams.

But the portions weren't really portions.

It was one bunch of parsley.

That's how those old school recipes were written.

And then it would be like, add half a can of water.

But don't add the water if you don't want it to be too thin.

Shuck the clams.

Which the first time I tried to do that, I had no idea what I was doing and I ended up using a hammer.

Which I don't recommend.

Then I just got better with it over time.

Experimented with the clams, figured out what I like to use.

Because you want to have fresh clams, but sometimes fresh clams aren't enough for the sauce.

So that's been an adventure in home cooking.

[MUSIC PLAYING] It was pretty intense.

There was interviews, and then we had to go to a casting call where over thousands of people showed up.

And then I received an email that I was going to be a part of the show.

I didn't know what to expect, so I was just kind of giving it my all.

One of the things that you can see in every contestant was how much they really loved to make the dish.

I mean, this was not just doing it for a show.

All that went away when they got in the kitchen.

Now they were just at the stove, and you could tell how important it was to them and how much they loved it.

And they handed me a card that had, you know, Norma's red clam sauce on it, and seeing it up on the board under the pasta category was just such, like, a great feeling, and it's such a tribute to my grandmother.

(upbeat music) - I had a concept.

I actually didn't anticipate the emotion.

That one caught me by surprise.

I am so happy that I've had the opportunity to be part of something this phenomenal for the city and for every one of the contestants.

- This dish was made by Philadelphians, and it's delicious.

That's what makes it so special.

If they need any help tasting the food, I'm available.

In addition to all of the performances we've shared thus far, there are even more shows to choose from.

You can see sort of all the crazy jazz age splendor that is Great Gatsby adapted for the stage.

It's a great ride.

If you love the novel and it's had several movie adaptations and this is the first time it's been adapted as a musical and it really delivers on all levels.

It opens on October 20th at the Academy of Music and runs through November 1st.

And we have performances Tuesday through Sunday evenings and weekend and a couple of weekday matinees for everyone to enjoy.

[Music] And that is our show.

And I want to give a big thanks to the Philadelphia Film Society Center for hosting us.

Have a good night, everybody.

[music playing]