South Philadelphia<\/a>\u2019s Theatre Exile is bringing back its annual Philly GRIT series this weekend. The ongoing celebration of bold, unfiltered work by local and Philadelphia-connected artists will be hosted at the company\u2019s intimate venue, with a mission to amplify provocative voices and present work that is \u201craw, irreverent, and deeply human.\u201d<\/p>\nThis year\u2019s lineup spotlights a dynamic trio of artists\u2014Bastion Carboni, Justin Jain, and Cookie Diorio\u2014each bringing their own unique perspective to the stage. Across the event, audiences can experience performances that dive into influencer culture, rework a Chekhov classic, and celebrate the arrival of spring with a glittering, high-energy cabaret all in one place.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach of these works takes audiences on a distinct theatrical journey, from a fictional influencer\u2019s descent into purgatory to a bold reimagining of Chekhov through a contemporary queer lens,\u201d says Deborah Block, Theatre Exile\u2019s Producing Artistic Director. \u201cThey\u2019re funny, fearless, and emotionally honest. They reflect the complexity of the world we\u2019re living in and illuminate the importance of being thoughtful about how we choose to walk through our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
‘A Vacation’, the latest work from Bastion Carboni, brings a sharp, satirical edge to Theatre Exile\u2019s Philly GRIT series this March. The dark comedy follows Colton, a thrill-seeking influencer who\u2019s built a massive following by documenting extreme and inaccessible places\u2014only to take audiences on his most outrageous journey yet: a trip to purgatory. With quick wit, the piece explores influencer culture, entitlement, and the cost of chasing attention at any price.<\/p>\n
Performances run March 21, 22 (featuring a post-show discussion), 23, 27, and 28, with a mix of evening and matinee showtimes.<\/p>\n
\u2018The Dangers of Tobacco\u2019 by Anton Chekhov (reimagined by Justin Jain), on the other hand, transforms a one-act performance into a “bold, comedic, and deeply personal” theatrical experience. What starts as a reluctant lecture on smoking spirals into a thoughtful and humorous confession of a life shaped by compromise and \u201cwhat could have been.\u201d Blending clowning, storytelling, and cultural reflection, Barrymore Award-winning performer Jain infuses the piece with their perspective as a first-generation queer Filipino-American.<\/p>\n
Performance dates are March 19 to 21, and March 25 to 29 (select times; the March 25 performance also includes a post-show discussion.)<\/p>\n
Finally, ‘Camp Cookie’ with Cookie Diorio boasts a one-night-only speakeasy cabaret that blends live vocals, storytelling, and queer performance into a campfire-style experience. Diorio, a Philadelphia-based drag artist and classically trained vocalist, mixes original songs, reimagined classics, and monologues to explore identity, survival, and belonging. ‘Camp Cookie’ will be performed one time only: On March 26 at 7 p.m.<\/p>\n
Audiences can choose from a variety of two-show Flex Pass Subscriptions (starting at $30) to see Philly GRIT and also Exile’s other upcoming show outside of the series, \u2018The Great Privation (How to flip ten cents into a dollar)\u2019. Single show tickets are also available online or by calling the Theatre Exile box office at 215-218-4022.<\/p>\n
The post-show discussions on March 22 and 25\u00a0 are included in the price of a general ticket. For more information, visit theatreexile.org<\/a> or follow Theatre Exile on Facebook, X, and Instagram.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Molly Given South Philadelphia\u2019s Theatre Exile is bringing back its annual Philly GRIT series this weekend. The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":141915,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[12823,69,71,70,7625,1483,64976],"class_list":["post-141914","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-philadelphia","tag-grit","tag-philadelphia","tag-philadelphia-headlines","tag-philadelphia-news","tag-philly","tag-theater","tag-theatre-exile"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141914","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141914"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141914\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141915"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141914"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}