The Rotunda

Love this place. This venue and it’s staff have personally helped myself and the West Philadelphia community in a manner that has changed many lives for the better. Gina the director is a godsend and helps so many people and gives 200% help.

for some reason, penn, which owns the place now, has decided to put zero money into this place. it’s an architectural wonder, but crumbling. you can smell the sewage from the toilets in the basement, and there is no air conditioning in the smaller part around back where many events are held.
having said that, if you have a chance to see a production in the main area (under the rotunda) then do! I saw a production of marat sade there, and it fit the play perfectly… creepy, gothic, crumbling. but, there was not enough seating (wooden benches? come on guys, penn has a BILLION dollar endowment). I have seen more shows in the rear area, with a smaller stage, and was not overly impressed with the space… no AC means you swelter in the summer… but as far as lo-​tech DYI spaces, it was really good
also kudos to penn for making it really a community space, as opposed to a penn space

A dream come true: free, all-​ages events space used by all sorts of folks in West Philly. Drop by almost any night to see and hear something fascinating. And it’s warm in the winter!

The Rotunda on University of Penn’s campus is a sound venue. (Good pun, eh?) Acoustics are fine: Music, speech, you name it, you won’t be asking anyone to repeat anything anytime soon.
It’s a modest venue décor-​wise. You won’t be raving about the structure, but you’ll probably be raving about the show (s) you see.
When I was here for a WOAR rally awhile back, the organizers managed to fit a ton of people inside. Their bathrooms are rather small, though; you won’t be fitting a lot of people in those.

I’m surprised the Rotunda only has 8 reviews so I wanted to throw my two cents in. Often I go to places (eg., Electric Factory) because of the reputation of the band. But I will go to an event blind at the Rotunda because their offerings are interesting, eclectic, and inexpensive. I believe that the Rotunda is a BYO venue, but don’t quote me on that. I’ve only gone to all ages events there.
The Rotunda offers a mix of concerts, art sales, conventions (such as alternative Philly comic con), and god knows what else. The architecture of the building explains it’s name and it’s beautiful yet strangely it’s presence is muted on the block. The Bridge which is next door screams for more attention on the street.
The place and events have a DIY feel and attract a lot of young people who often crowd outside smoking and talking. This is a place not to have attitude about anything. It’s a space that deserves our love and attention. Go there, have fun, and the energy will be retained and felt by attendees at the next event.

Considering my last review only really covered the music that I’ve seen here I can definitely cover a lot more. After being to several puppet shows, craft fairs, hip hop shows, dancing to chiptune music and Balkan gypsy music, attending a space rock festival, and seeing a whole lot of random artworks on the wall I can honestly say that the Rotunda might just have the most eclectic offerings in all of Philly. And the fact that most of them cost $ 0 – 5 makes it pretty damn amazing!

I’m giving you a five star review out of guilt. Yes, i was the fool who brought his crazy crack-​head girlfriend into your doors to play a show, and when she found out that there was no booze permitted, not only did she smuggle some in, but she broke just about every beer bottle in the hallway, and defaced some of your beautiful architecture. I am so sorry. She is gone, but that memory remains every time i walk through your doors.

This venue is all about you, me, fucking everybody! Most of the events are free, at least a «suggested» donation of $ 7, but it’s supporting local bands. They even have people from way out in NY stop by. I brought my mom here and she was exasperated by the love, anger, suffering, and feeling that you get out of their def poetry. They have any art form imaginable there. YOGA EVEN! Seriously, even if it’s the cost of an El token, check this place out, look at the ratings. The building’s run down, but hey, throw in that donation and save this place for our children. It’ll keep them out of trouble just like it keeps me out of trouble.

This is the greatest venue ever. OK, the sound can be weird, the acts are all over the place, lots of nutcases show up, and technical diffculties abound. But almost every event is free, and anyone can put on almost any event here. Some things I’ve seen at the Rotunda: punk legends 7 Seconds, crazy breakdancing, my favorite band ever Team Dresch, amazing crazy puppetry, the Fun*A*Day art show, Tuvan throat singers, and giant projected images of my best friend, a year after her death.

The Thursday Hip-​Hop shows here are bananas!
In my prime, I watched everybody from KRS-​One to Chuck D to the Beastie Boys swing through to watch the 215 get down, uprock, throw wild styles, cut a record back and crack a microphone.
It is very shallwesay «backpack»… but it’s also a lot of fun, and unlike the similar bar and club events, it’s much more social.
I hit a Hardcore show here once too… equally fun, on an entirely different level. Great asset to West Philly.

The Rotunda has a crappy, sort of VFW feel but they sure have some fantastic shows. Where else in Philly can you go see documentaries about hardcore or listen to avant garde electronic music with a VJ playing some weird and crazy crap. I’ve also saw Winterbrief, a great little electroclash band and shows from the Ladyfest East anti-​Lilith girl music festival. The sound quality is not all that great or all that consistent and the seats are uncomfortable so it’s often better to stand but it caters to a truly alternative music scene that goes beyond the usual indie rock at other venues. I find that trade-​off acceptable.

This is the cultural nexus of west philadelphia. In my opinion.
Every final thursday of the month is an amazing event called The Gathering, which has breakdancing, freestyle rap, hiphop, and graffiti. During the summer it is huge. Oh. And its FREE. This isn’t your sunday afternoon rittenhouse square breakdancing either, this is REAL. I’ve been there when two crews left the inside of the Rotunda to go battle out doors, which was awesome. It’s never violent, but it gets intense, with people channeling their emotion into dance and rap.
I don’t rap or break (well), so I go to listen to music and watch some amazing breakers, as well as try to get close to the cypher and listen in as a bunch of guys battle rap. The graffiti artist always has some awesome tag complete by the end of the night.
I’ve also been at the rotunda to see documentaries, and once to see a silent film with an electronic artist performing the soundtrack live.
Check it out.