Anvil of the World: Halloween on Elfreth's Alley
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Back for an extended run after a sold out performance in 2025, ANVIL OF THE WORLD is an original one-person gothic horror performance about industrialization and masculinity in nineteenth century Philadelphia set on Elfreth's Alley, performed by Jeff Joseph Katz and directed by Michael A. Stahler.
Accompanied by hand-drawn animation and live sound effects, Jeff Joseph Katz reads from the “newly-discovered” journal of Asa Lawler, a young smith’s apprentice in 1870 Philadelphia who finds himself terrorized by a strange disease — but not his own. And why does he keep finding chips of metal under his pillow? In the tradition of Shirley Jackson and Guillermo del Toro, Katz weaves an eerie tale of men and their machines.
Jeff Joseph Katz is a white queer writer, artist, and performer based in Philadelphia, PA. He works across mediums to discover the secret passages between thinking and feeling. www.jeffjosephkatz.com
Michael A. Stahler is a director, writer, actor, dialect coach, and tour guide of Philadelphia history. His directing work has included projects for Cannonball Festival, Wings of Paper Theatre Company, People’s Light, and Drexel University. www.michaelstahler.com
Accompanied by hand-drawn animation and live sound effects, Jeff Joseph Katz reads from the “newly-discovered” journal of Asa Lawler, a young smith’s apprentice in 1870 Philadelphia who finds himself terrorized by a strange disease — but not his own. And why does he keep finding chips of metal under his pillow? In the tradition of Shirley Jackson and Guillermo del Toro, Katz weaves an eerie tale of men and their machines.
Jeff Joseph Katz is a white queer writer, artist, and performer based in Philadelphia, PA. He works across mediums to discover the secret passages between thinking and feeling. www.jeffjosephkatz.com
Michael A. Stahler is a director, writer, actor, dialect coach, and tour guide of Philadelphia history. His directing work has included projects for Cannonball Festival, Wings of Paper Theatre Company, People’s Light, and Drexel University. www.michaelstahler.com
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Where is it happening?
124-126 Elfreths Alley, Philadelphia, PA, United States, Pennsylvania 19106
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Host or PublisherElfreth's Alley Museum
