Philadelphia Women's Theatre Festival Celebrates Motherhood

Philadelphia Women's Theatre Festival (PWTF) announces the lineup for the fourth annual festival which includes a Motherhood Reading Series and the premiere of Ashley Kern's children's musical, THE KING WHO WANTED TO CLEAN THE MOON.

Produced by PWTF in Partnership with the Parent Artist Advocacy League (PAAL), the 2018 festival is a celebration of motherhood. Parent artists perform plays written and directed by mother artists. PWTF is also proud to include childcare by presenting a children's show to coincide with the Motherhood Reading Series. Finally, mother comedians will take the stage at PWTF's stand-up comedy event: MOMedy. Festival events will take place August 1 - 5, 2018 at Music Theatre Philly.

Mothers are and can be both successful artists and parents. In fact, motherhood inspires creativity and mother artists offer a relatable perspective as storytellers. "Being a parent is one of the hardest jobs for anyone and even harder for women in theatre" said Co-Founder & Artistic Director, Polly Edelstein. "By dedicating our 2018 festival to motherhood in the arts and partnering with the Parent Arts Advocacy League, PWTF hopes to not only shine a light on the amazingly talented and hardworking mother artists in our field, but to create a world where motherhood is accepted, celebrated, and supported in the arts."

The 2018 festival is an opportunity to address barriers that exists for mother artists wishing to maintain a career in theatre while raising their children. "Accessible and affordable childcare is critical," said Co-Founder & Managing Director, Christine Petrini. "We are serving artists and patrons alike so that they can enjoy theatre while their children see their own show onsite at the festival - it's theatre for the whole family." Other barriers include travel, scheduling, hours and wages that often neglect the need for work/life balance. To further address these topics, PWTF will host professional development including a Mothers of Color panel discussion.

Philadelphia Women's Theatre Festival is committed to building a community that honors creating financially and artistically fulfilling opportunities for women and invites the community to bring the whole family to celebrate mother artists at the 2018 festival.

2018 Festival Lineup

Motherhood Reading Series

WATER IN MY HANDS by Emma Gibson

BROWN-EYED RAPUNZEL by Monica Flory

REFRIGERATOR MOTHER by Alessandra Most

ZEN & THE ART OF MOURNING A MOTHER by Emma Goldman-Sherman

Children's Production (on-site festival childcare)

Ashley Kern's THE KING WHO WANTED TO CLEAN THE MOON is an interactive musical play for family audiences exploring climate change and gender roles. In this story, the King loves to read each night by moonlight; she reads stacks and stacks of books. One evening, she discovers that she can't read because the moon is dirty. The King creates several different plans to clean the moon only to realize she can't reach it. In the end, she boards a rocket ship never to return to earth to accomplish her task of finally cleaning the moon.

Visit phillywomenstheatrefest.org to learn more about our lineup.

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PWTF is fiscally sponsored by Fractured Atlas.

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