September 11-17, 2003

cover story

Fall Guide

by Debra Auspitz

As the summer sets and fall rises, the air seems a bit more crisp, the city seems a bit more bustling. Artists of all disciplines are waking from their heat-induced slumber to start creating again. Fringe was just the appetizer.

As always, City Paper is here to help you forge your way through the upcoming season. We’ll introduce you to a few new faces, as well as tell you what some old favorites from Philly’s arts community are up to.

We’ve chatted with the likes of The Philadelphia Orchestra’s new maestro, Christoph Eschenbach, and award-winning author Faith Ringgold (coming to Rutgers for a new author series), plus up-and-coming artist Randall Sellers, who has gone from showing in local coffee shops to L.A. galleries (he still likes to hang out in the coffee shop, though) and playwright Thomas Gibbons, whose latest work, inspired by the Barnes controversy, is sure to make waves when InterAct stages it this fall. We’ll also fill you in on two major forces in the Philadelphia dance scene celebrating milestones this season: The Pennsylvania Ballet turns 40 and Group Motion turns 35. That’s not even the whole picture -- we’ve got features about opera, movies, style and more.

Not enough? Turn to our Fall Arts Calendar on page 59. Our critics have picked the coming months’ most promising concerts, exhibitions, performances, plays and a whole lot more, and we’ve put it all together for you in a handy pullout section that you can keep all season.

Clip and save! Stick it to your fridge! Read it out loud on the bus! Or, just read it.

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