General Admission: $5.00Historic Site Members: FreeReception to Follow
From Robben Island to Chinese Artist Ai Weiwei:Prisons as Tools for Political Repression
Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site partners with Lantern Theater Company to present a discussion of prisons as tools in political oppression, and how these themes have been addressed covertly by artists living under repressive regimes. This event is organized in conjunction with LTC’s production of The Island by South African playwright Athol Fugard, a play based loosely on Nelson Mandela’s imprisonment on Robben Island under the apartheid government of South Africa. Aaron Levy of the Slought Foundation joins the discussion to describe the Chinese government’s detention of political artist Ai Weiwei in 2011.
KC MacMillan is the Associate Artistic Director at Lantern Theater Company. In addition to her responsibilities as a director of shows, KC does research in support of each of the Lantern's four productions and leads their audience enrichment programs.
Peter DeLaurier is the director of the Lantern's production of Athol Fugard's The Island. This is his second production of Fugard for the Lantern. Peter is also a longtime company member at People's Light & Theatre in Malvern.
Aaron Levy is the Executive Director and Chief Curator of Slought, a small Philadelphia-based institution whose programs focus as much on histories of cultural experimentation and political advocacy as on the creation of new social practices. He worked with Ai Weiwei on The Fairytale Project before the artist’s detention.
Seating is limited. We recommend purchasing tickets in advance.
More information about The Searchlight Series is available on our website.
General Admission: $5.00
Historic Site Members: Free
Reception to Follow
Lynne Abraham and the Case for a Robust, But Fair, Criminal Justice System
Lynne Abraham, Esq., served as Philadelphia’s District Attorney for eighteen years. During that time she gained a national reputation as a strong proponent for law enforcement, the courts, and the prison system in their roles keeping communities safe from crime and violence. Says Ms. Abraham, “A robust, yet fair, criminal justice system, one that citizens feel is there to protect them and their communities, helps to counter the negative effects of helplessness and vulnerability, and maintains the proper balance in a civilized society.”
Lynne Abraham, Esq., was Philadelphia’s District Attorney from 1999 to 2010. She is now a practicing attorney and partner at the firm of Archer & Greiner in Philadelphia.
Seating is limited. We recommend purchasing tickets in advance.
More information about The Searchlight Series is available on our website.
Standard Admission
Photographers have Eastern State Penitentiary to themselves in the beautiful dusk light. Tripods, models, and hand-held lighting equipment are all welcome during these hours. Standard admission for any person entering.
Free with Admission
11:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
All New Restored Bocci Court and Living History
Most inmates didn’t literally escape from prison; they found meaning, friendship and recreation, when possible, inside the walls. This weekend, visitors can try their hand at Bocce Ball, a traditional Italian recreation practiced by aging inmates at Eastern State throughout the 20th century. The original courts were built at the base of Eastern State’s massive wall, and are now open, fully restored, for the first time this weekend. Prizes awarded all weekend for best players!
ALSO
Two actors—one portraying tunnel mastermind Clarence Klinedinst and one portraying bank robber “Slick Willie” Sutton—give their conflicting accounts of who designed the 1945 tunnel, how it was built, and why the escapees got caught. Meet each inmate in his cell and see how their accounts vary. Based on actual conflicts in the accounts of Willie Sutton and Clarence Klinedinst.
General Admission: $5.00
Historic Site Members: Free
Reception to Follow
The Social Cost of Imprisonment
Marc Mauer discusses the impact of changing drug and "tough on crime" policies on poor and minority communities in the U.S. During this discussion, Mr. Mauer will analyze current prospects for reform and their potential for diminishing the cost and scale of incarceration. He will also examine the social impact of the American criminal justice system as well as possible, and hopefully more effective, public safety strategies.
Marc Mauer is the Executive Director of The Sentencing Project and author of Race to Incarcerate. He is frequently invited to testify before Congress and the U.S. Sentencing Commission, and addresses a broad range of national and international audiences.
Seating is limited. We recommend purchasing tickets in advance.
More information about The Searchlight Series is available on our website.
Standard Admission
Photographers have Eastern State Penitentiary to themselves in the beautiful dusk light. Tripods, models, and hand-held lighting equipment are all welcome during these hours. Standard admission for any person entering.
Historic Site Members: Free
Members of the Public: Standard Admission
Visitors will enter "Soup Alley," the long, eerie hallway that once connected Eastern State's central hub to the dining halls. The corridor is lined with serving windows, giving the hall its playful name. This space has never been open to the public, and has rarely been entered even by historic site staff. Reservations are free for members beginning June 1. If reservations remain, they will be available to the general public on June 11.
Photo: collection of Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, gift of the Scheerer Family.
Standard Admission
The penitentiary is open from 10 am until 5 pm. Eastern State is located just three blocks from the Ben Franklin Parkway, site of the some of the best fireworks in the nation! So tour Eastern State, have dinner at one of the great neighborhood restaurants, and stay for the fireworks! Happy Independence Day!
Cabaret and Reenactment Free
One of Philadelphia’s most popular summertime events! Eastern State Penitentiary teams with The Bearded Ladies cabaret group to present one of Philadelphia’s largest free theatrical performances, which culminates with a playful reenactment of the Storming of the Bastille (influenced more by Monty Python than the actual French Revolution).
Following the performance, the many wonderful restaurants surrounding the penitentiary come alive with French-themed entertainment as well as food and drink specials. Come early and take a tour of Eastern State (standard admission), or stay late and take a twilight tour following the reenactment ($10 Adults, $5 Students, Seniors and Kids).
General Admission: $5.00
Eerie and emotionally charged meetings between a betrayed woman and a death-row prisoner mark the course of South Korean auteur Ki-duk Kim’s 2007 Cannes Film Festival Best Film nominee. Breath stands as a complex meditation on grief, the redemptive human spirit, and the desire for true communication in the fragmentation of modern times.
Select Nights
Separate Admission
Called “perfect for Halloween” by The New York Times and ranked No. 1 in the nation by AOL City Guide, Terror Behind the Walls is the region’s premier haunted attraction. Tickets go on sale September 10, 2012. Check the Halloween website for coupons, previews, photos and ticketing.
Free with Admission
Eastern State is one of the most photogenic locations in America. Each year photographers travel from as far away as California and Canada to photograph the penitentiary.
Each member may submit one color and one black and white Eastern State Penitentiary photograph for our 2012 Members’ Photo Contest. Entries must arrive at the historic site by 10:30 am, Saturday, October 6. Photos will remain on view throughout the weekend. Visitors to the historic site can cast votes for their favorite images throughout the weekend.
On Sunday afternoon at 4:30 pm, two sets of winners will be announced in the color and black and white categories. A guest curator will select one set of winners, and the results of the weekend’s voting will be announced.
Standard Admission
Eastern State’s Winter Adventure Tours run from December through March, are limited to 25 people, and pair each small group with an expert Eastern State tour guide for a one-hour tour of the cellblocks. Click here for more information.
