Season 2, Episode 5: Behind every summer is a community that keeps Fire Island alive. This episode explores the history of the beloved Pines Pantry through the eyes of its iconic Pantry Girls, alongside the volunteer firefighters of The Pines and Cherry Grove who protect the island from fires, hurricanes, beach erosion, and an uncertain future.
Anna Deavere Smith's THE BASIL BIGGS PROJECT Will Premiere in Philadelphia Tihs Summer
Performances will take place at Philadelphia's Wilma Theatre for two days only, June 26–27.
By: Stephi Wild
In honor of the nation’s 250th anniversary, playwright, actor and professor, Anna Deavere Smith has written an original play for ArtPhilly’s What Now: 2026 Festival, The Basil Biggs Project. Performances will take place at Philadelphia's Wilma Theatre for two days only, June 26–27.
The Basil Biggs Project traces the life of Smith’s great, great, grandfather, a farmer, veterinarian and prominent Gettysburg figure. Biggs received a contract to disinter and rebury the Union dead following the battle of Gettysburg - the bloodiest of the Civil War.
Though a prominent figure in his community, it appears that Biggs did not read or write. Smith uses available archival material to imagine how the Biggs family and their friends met the challenges of a tumultuous and transformative time.
Directed by Leonard Foglia, and in collaboration with designer Ann Hould-Ward, The Basil Biggs Project is emblematic of Smith’s longstanding mission, which is to integrate historical fact and artistic imagination to weave individual stories into cohesive reflections which celebrate American resilience and inspire discussion.
Biggs is produced in conjunction with theater artists LaNeshe Miller-White and Zuhairah McGill and historian Andrew Dalton, CEO of the Adams County Historical Society. The Basil Biggs Project has been supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.
More on The Wilma Theater
Recent Articles
Broadway news in your inbox
Weekly top stories - unsubscribe anytime.
Weekly top stories - unsubscribe anytime.
|
An Intimate Evening with Michael Feinstein The Keswick Theatre (11/01-11/01) |
|
Marc DeSouza ♦ Danny Archer ♦ Conrad Cologne ♦ 3 Man Show! Smoke & Mirrors Theater (11/28-11/28) |
|
Branford Marsalis & Dianne Reeves: Celebrate John Coltrane Zellerbach Theatre (2/05-2/05) |
|
Matthew Morrison The Keswick Theatre (3/16-3/16) |
|
The Dinner Detective Philadelphia True Crime Mystery Show The Dinner Detective Philadelphia (12/04-12/04) |
|
Josh Turner Warner Theatre (12/03-12/03) |
|
Forever Simon & Garfunkel Bristol Riverside Theatre (5/12-5/16) |
|
I'm Not Rappaport Spotlight Theatre (11/13-11/22) |
|
Be Like Blippi Tour! The Keswick Theatre (12/11-12/11) |
|
"YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU" ActorsNET of Bucks County (10/16-11/01) |