CSTS Philly is proud to announce that we will once again host two events for Can't Stop the Serenity this year.

2014 marks the 9th annual CSTS campaign in honor of Firefly/Serenity and benefiting Equality Now. CSTS Philly raised over $3,000 in 2013, and we hope to raise even more this year!

Join us for our Serenity screening event!

Tickets will be $10 on our merchandise page, now through July 16, or earlier if we sell out. Tickets may be available at the door for $15 if the event does not sell out. Advance tickets are highly recommended. (Our event sold out last year before advanced sales ended!)

We will also be hosting a Dr. Horrible screening in the fall. Stay tuned for more details!

All proceeds from CSTS Philly events benefit Equality Now.

MORE ABOUT CSTS, SERENITY, AND EQUALITY NOW CSTS is short for “Can’t Stop the Serenity.” CSTS started in 2006. One very avid fan decided to show the movie Serenity on the birthday of its creator, Joss Whedon, as a charity event to raise money for one of Whedon’s favorite charities, Equality Now. The concept snowballed, and 46 cities across the globe signed on to organize similar events, across the US, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. These events ranged from simple Serenity screenings, to elaborate parties and feasts (known by fans as shindigs.)

When all was said and done, the combined efforts of all these fan-run events had raised over $65,000 for Equality Now. Immediately after, there was chatter about making the event bigger and better the followng year. It wasn’t long before it was decided to make the event an annual one. Now, every year, over 50 cities hold CSTS events worldwide, raising over $150,000 annually for Equality Now. 

The film Serenity is based on Joss Whedon’s short lived “space western” series, Firefly. Although it was cancelled in 2002 after only 11 episodes, Firefly’s fan base quickly reached a similar cult standing equal to any of Whedon’s other longer lived shows, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. The fans, who call themselves Browncoats (after the rebels who fought against The Alliance during the Unification War that predates events happening in the series,) tried their hardest to get Firefly back on the air. Despite their best efforts, it was not possible to continue the series on television. Finally, in 2003, Whedon and the fans were rewarded by a film deal with Universal Studios, and so Serenity was born. The film opened in September of 2005 and has received much critical acclaim and fan adoration.

 The film centers around the crew of a Firefly class spaceship called Serenity. The crew is harboring a wanted fugitive, a young girl with a deadly secret. The crew experiences all manners of peril as they are hunted by an operative of The Alliance who will stop at nothing to capture the girl. Just what is it that this girl knows, and will the crew escape the dangers ahead?

 In 1992, Jessica Neuwirth, Navanethem Pillay, and Feryal Gharahi founded Equality Now to address the gender disparity in the human rights movement, which had come to dismiss certain violations as "cultural" or "private". At the time, issues such as domestic violence, rape, female genital mutilation, trafficking, and reproductive rights were often overlooked by established human rights organizations.

 Neuwirth was a student of Lee Stearns, who founded the first Amnesty International chapter run exclusively by high school students. Stearns is Joss Whedon's mother. Whedon, himself, is a self-proclaimed feminist and has become well known for creating strong female characters and challenging stereotypical gender roles in his storytelling. He has been outspoken in his support of Equality Now and gender equality initiatives.

Bowerbird presentsa special edition of the Gate series

TECHNE + GIRLS ROCK PHILLYBonnie Jones and Suzanne Thorpe in collaboration with young women from Girls Rock Summer Institute.

Please join Bowerbird for a special concert featuring young musicians (ages 13 - 18) from Girls Rock Philly in collaboration with sound artists Bonnie Jones and Suzanne Thorpe. This event is the culmination of a two day workshop called "ARISE: A Dynamic Musical Environment for Change" led by TECHNE at the Girls Rock Summer Institute. TECHNE, an arts education initiative of Jones and Thorpe, lead workshops combining sound, technology and musical improvisation. Preceding this concert, TECHNE taught the students how to build instruments with DIY electronics and contact mics, explore creative sound-making techniques, and collaborate together in a group improvisation. Through their programs TECHNE aims to empower young women, increase their involvement in technology, and inspire them to engage in creative and innovative music practices. After the workshop, the girls take home a unique, self-crafted instrument and, we hope, a new and fresh perspective on music making and self-expression.

Admission is FREE

40th Street Summer Series| June 28, July 26, August 30, September 27

THIS EVENT IS OUTDOORS AT THE 40TH STREET FIELD, 40th Street between Walnut and Locust. 

Rain or Shine. 

Each summer UCD, Penn and The Rotunda invite internationally-acclaimed ensembles—such as the Millennial Territory Orchestra and the Sun Ra Arkestra— to play free outdoor concerts that capture the soul of the neighborhood. Since its beginning, the 40th Street Summer Series has enlivened the 40th Street corridor (now home to Distrito, HipCityVeg, RAVE Cinema, Ben & Jerry’s, and more) during the typically slow summer months by increasing patronage at nearby retailers and building upon the existing vibrancy of 40th Street, while providing entertaining, enriching and safe outlets for families, visitors and students.

In addition to live music, there is a face painter, balloon artist, human circus acts such as juggling and tight rope walking, fire artists (after the music), and free samples from Ben & Jerry's. 

July 26

Raphael Xavier W.O.R.X. Meets Bobby Zankel &The Warriors of the Wonderful SoundThis fusion act’s concept for this project is based on the idea that there are constant, fundamental elements of African American culture that transcend discipline, time period, style, and place of origin. They will examine and explore the notion that there are common spiritual and aesthetic principles and artistic devices and techniques that are utilized in parallel ways in music, and dance. They are looking to clarify the common thread that runs between music and dance, “Hip Hop and Be Bop”, “Breaking to the Avant Garde”.

Avalon String BandSince 1939, the Philadelphia region has embraced the musical styling and visual brilliance of the Avalon String Band, a member of the Philadelphia Mummers String Band Association. Avalon String Band performs upbeat music that features saxophones, banjos, accordions and percussion in the style of Philadelphia's Mummers Parade. Their custom sound has deep roots in traditional American sing-along music, popular music from the early to mid 1900s, swing, and big band.

August 30

Nation BeatThe heartbeat of Nation Beat’s sound lies in a deliciously original 21st century fusion between thunderous Brazilian maracatu drumming and New Orleans second line rhythms. It is also the vibrant force of their explosive live show, which is frequently known to burst into crowd-wide Carnival-style drumming and singing. Nation Beat’s audacious energy seamlessly bridges folkloric Brazilian maracatu with classic NOLA roots music attracting an ever-growing legion of fans from across a wide demographic. Nation Beat plays the best kind of fusion in the world, the kind that doesn't try to fuse anything. An American/Brazilian collective, Nation Beat belongs to both sides of the equator.

The Highwater PreachersThe Highwater Preachers have been raising eyebrows in the burgeoning local bluegrass scene with their fresh takes on classic mountain songs, incorporating precision picking and soulful vocal harmony. Led by the remarkably accomplished Sarah Larsen on fiddle, this troupe of young pickers (featuring members of Sour Mash, the David Wax Museum, and the White Bark Pine) carries the torch of hard-driving traditional bluegrass music.

September 27

To be announced!

- See more at: http://universitycity.org/40th-street-summer-series

Admission is FREE