West Philly's Curio Theatre Throws Disco Fundraiser Inside 1895 Church

West Philadelphia's Curio Theatre Company is trading Shakespeare and stage lights for platform shoes and a disco ball on Saturday, September 12, when it hosts Curio 54, an immersive dance party and fundraiser running from 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. inside the Calvary Center Hall at 4740 Baltimore Avenue. The night promises all-night dance tracks spanning classic disco, glam, and funk, plus food from local West Philadelphia favorites, signature cocktails, beer, and wine.

According to West Philly Local, tickets cost $20 in advance or $25 at the door, with admission including two drink tickets. The venue only accepts cash or Venmo for additional purchases, and organizers say attendees can wear whatever makes them comfortable, though period attire and costumes are encouraged, with a photo booth and best-dressed prize on offer alongside raffles, giveaways, and games and crafts for anyone who needs a break from the dance floor.

Ticket sales directly benefit Curio Theatre Company, funding both its ongoing theatrical productions and its community programming, the outlet reports. The company has relied on this kind of grassroots fundraising model since its earliest days, when it operated for three years as a touring outreach group of professional artists before formally incorporating as a nonprofit in October 2004, according to Curio Theatre Company.

A Church Sanctuary Turned Performance Space

The Calvary Center Hall sits inside the 1895 Calvary United Methodist Church building, and Curio has called it home since establishing a permanent partnership with the Calvary Center for Culture and Community in January 2005 to convert the church's abandoned sanctuary into a performing arts venue, per the theatre's own history. The building's trapezoidal sanctuary and two of the largest signed Louis Comfort Tiffany stained-glass window groupings in the region give the space a distinctive backdrop, according to a description shared in a local Facebook community post.

In 2012, Curio worked with the Calvary Center to build out an additional performance space in the building's basement, expanding both its production season and its year-round education classes. That expansion helped set the stage for programs like Saturday theatre classes, a summer camp, and CuriosiTeens, a free after-school program launched in 2015 for local high schoolers that focuses on trauma-informed care and social-emotional learning through theatre, the company's website notes.

Recognition and Advocacy Beyond the Stage

The theatre's education work has earned outside recognition, too. Curio Theatre School received the 2017 Victory Foundation Award for Outstanding Theatre Education Program from Theatre Philadelphia, an honor that came with a $7,500 grant to fund teen mentorship and production rights, allowing students to work directly with professional designers.

Curio has also used its space for civic engagement beyond ticketed shows. In October 2024, artistic director Paul Kuhn installed an interactive dirt mound outside the Calvary Center to encourage passersby to sign a petition supporting state recognition for the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania, a street installation that coincided with Curio's production of Larissa FastHorse's The Thanksgiving Play, according to WHYY. Kuhn, one of the company's original co-founders alongside Jared Reed, Aetna Gallagher, Gay Carducci, and Tim Martin, continues to serve as co-artistic director.

Fundraising Takes On New Urgency

Events like Curio 54 carry added weight this year. City funding for the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, a major grant source for local arts groups including Curio, is set to drop from $5 million to $3.5 million for fiscal year 2027, a cut that could eliminate grants for roughly 100 small and mid-sized arts organizations, WHYY reports. The reduction follows a record $5.6 million grant disbursement in 2026, making community-driven events an increasingly critical part of how neighborhood theaters like Curio keep their productions and youth programming afloat. Advance tickets for Curio 54 are available online, per the article.