"Horsegirl & Cowdaddy" on stage September 22 - October 4 at the Wilma Theater
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- "Horsegirl & Cowdaddy" follows the journey of one father and daughter's relationship.
"It's about a trans woman living with her dad in rural Pennsylvania," says DJ Hills, playwright of "Horsegirl & Cowdaddy."
Lindsay Smiling, the newly named solo artistic director of the Wilma Theater, stars as Cowdaddy.
"They are living a simple life," says Smiling. "Have their day-to-day routines and have a deep love for each other."
Cowdaddy's horse-loving daughter is played by actress Samora de la Brisa, formerly known as Samora la Perdida.
"Horses to her represent this free, wild, strong being. Things that she's learning to embrace in her real life," says de la Brisa.
The rhythm of their life is disrupted when Horsegirl meets Bethel.
"A young transmasculine teacher comes into town," she says.
"And she falls head over heels for this new person," says Adil Mansoor, director of "Horsegirl & Cowdaddy." "And it shakes up her dynamic with her father."
"And when Bethel asks Horsegirl, 'Is there anything else you want out of your life?' It really spurs, no pun intended, this other transformation," says de la Brisa.
"She turns into a horse," says Hills.
Philadelphia-based artists, Rebecca Kanach and Erik Ruin, bring Horsegirl to life with costumes and shadow puppets, respectively.
"And in the midst of that is this, like, magical transformation," says Mansoor. "We get to witness these three people learn a lot about themselves across a summer."
"The heart of this story really is about, 'Where do you belong? Where are you gonna be happy?'" says Smiling. "And the love that complicates that question."
The play also challenges stereotypes.
"And sort of asks, like, why people assume that, specifically queer and trans people, have to leave these rural spaces in order to be their full selves," says Hills.
"Her transformation into a horse isn't a metaphor for gender. It's a metaphor for finding home in this trans body in rural America, which is absolutely possible," says de la Brisa.
"Horsegirl & Cowdaddy" runs September 22 to October 4, 2026, at the Wilma Theater.
Tickets
The Wilma Theater
265 S. Broad Street (Broad & Spruce Streets)
Philadelphia, PA 19107
