"Our mission is to create a platform for women, nonbinary artists, femme-identifying artists in Philadelphia to uplift and tell their stories," says Glynnis Nadelbaum, Artistic Director of the Philadelphia Women's Theatre Festival. "We're really celebrating everything that we've accomplished."
This year the festival spans 10 days. Chosen writers live within an hour of Center City in Philadelphia.
Nadelbaum says the focus was to find pieces empowering women.
Playwright Brie Knight returns with her play, Pancake Queen.
"This play is about and for Nancy Green," says Knight. "The first woman to portray the marketing icon that we now know as Aunt Jemima."
Knight did an early reading at the inaugural festival in 2014.
Now, it will be the festival's first fully staged production.
She says the play discusses themes of "commodification, capitalism," but it also looks at Nancy's life and elevates the "smart, charismatic" woman.
Other performances explore a variety of genres.
"We have two staged readings, and we have a night of one-person shows," says Nadelbaum.
Those will be held at Theatre Exile, along with Pancake Queen.
"The Theatre for Young Audiences' Day is happening at the NKCDC Garden in Fishtown, so it'll be an outdoor day full of activities for kids to engage in the arts," says Nadelbaum.
There is also a comedy night happening at the Sawubona Creativity Project.
"There is no one woman's story," says Nadelbaum. "We are many things, and we have many different experiences, backgrounds, voices, so we try to show a diverse range of those things."
The Philadelphia Women's Theatre Festival runs August 9 - 18.
Philadelphia Women's Theatre Festival | Tickets
Theatre Exile
1340-48 S 13th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147