The Philadelphia Fringe Festival opened last weekend, and for its 29th year, the festivities will feature over 320 productions and experiences throughout the city, bringing together local and international artists for the month-long occasion.
To help make your performance choices a little easier, we’ve rounded up some of the most unique experiences to check out in 2025.
The Layaway
The Bearded Ladies Cabaret is no stranger to the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, and their latest showcase will take over the Wanamaker Building. The show is described as a vibrant hideaway where art, music, and mischief come together in unexpected harmony. Audiences can expect an eclectic lineup of cabaret experiences spanning “stripped-down acoustic reveries, soaring organ(ic) ecstasies, genderqueer tomfoolery and tailor-made programming crafted just for the Kids Department.”
Performances with family programming will take place on Sept. 14, 21 and 28, at 3 p.m. and adult programming on Sept. 13, 20 and 27 at 9 p.m. Tickets ($10+) are available online.
100 E Penn Sq.,fringearts.com/event/the-layaway
‘Circumscribed: A True Tall Tale of One Father, Two Sons, and Thousands of Foreskins’
Storyteller Noam Osband is bringing his award-winning show to Philadelphia for the first time. ‘Circumscribed’ features an hour of comedic storytelling surrounding Osband’s father— or more specifically, his role as a mohel (a Jewish ritual circumciser), who buried foreskins at home. The show will also cover his failed efforts at finding paternal figures after his untimely death, and wrestling with circumcising his own kid.
The artist will weave different family videos, pictures, and audio recordings to bring the show to life for the 60 minute experience. Remaining shows are set for Sept. 27 (9 p.m.) and Sept. 28 (7 p.m.) at Studio 34. Tickets ($20) are available online.
4522 Baltimore Ave., phillyfringe.org
‘La Otra’
Co-created by Tanaquil Márquez and Eliana Fabiyi, ‘La Otra’ will be playing for a limited engagement as part of the Festival. The show follows three Colombian sisters who gather in Bogotá to celebrate their father’s 80th birthday before an unexpected guest arrives and shakes things up.
As a release notes, in conjunction with the production, 1812 Productions will present a series of “Spotlight Performances,” teaming up with local nonprofits to further the company’s commitment to community connection and social engagement. Each designated evening will highlight the work of a different partner organization: Acción Colombia (Sept. 12), the National Domestic Workers Alliance (Sept. 20), Justice at Work (Sept. 26) and Juntos (Sept. 27) at the Arden Theatre Company.
40 N 2nd St.,fringearts.com/event/la-otra
Glen Foerd
There are two reasons to head to this picturesque venue during the cultural affair. The first production, ‘Regulator XXL Presents: When Pigs Fly and For My Body’, is created and performed by Rachel Hunsinger and Sarah Owens. Set to play at the venue on September 11, 14 and 17, the immersive experience explores themes of democracy, body image, and human connection. Audiences can expect shows to blend cabaret, devised theater, and movement with an emphasis on audience engagement. Tickets are $25 for general admission.
Next up, Charlie Bethel’s acclaimed adaptation of ‘Beowulf’( performed by John Heimbuch and directed by Amy Rummenie) will premiere at Glen Foerd on Sept. 22 and 23. Tickets run for $25 for general admission and are available online.
5001 Grant Ave., phillyfringe.org
‘Kiss Me Deadly – A Bloody Brilliant Vampire Cabaret’
‘Kiss Me Deadly’ brings fanged performers to life for a “fright-night-meets-decadent-cabaret” experience. Set for Sept. 19 and 20 and Sept. 26 and 27 at Ulana’s Night Club, the evening will feature music from Bauhaus, Bon Jovi, Blondie, the Bee Gees and more, all remixed/remade especially for this interactive production. The event also boasts themed cocktails/mocktails for purchase and a “Romanian gypsy” who will tell fortunes at the start. Audiences are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite creatures of the night, and tickets run for $35.
205 Bainbridge St., phillyfringe.org
‘Pinky Promise’
This show, set to run at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival for five performances, comes from Paper Doll Ensemble. Set at a summer camp in 2005, the show follows friends Heidi, Miriam, and Phoebe, and a deep rift that forms that launches the group into a journey through the “raw, funny, and sometimes surreal experience of growing up.”
Adult performers will portray the preteen characters, and audiences can also expect hobby horses, pop songs, and the “sacred power of a pinky promise” to provoke their own journey of revisiting their formative fractures to ask how our earliest heartbreaks echo through the rest of our lives. The show is set to run Sept. 18 (7 p.m.), 19 (7 p.m.), 20 (2 and 7 p.m.) and 21 (2 p.m.) at the Plays & Players Skinner Studio. Tickets are pay-what-you-can.
1714 Delancey Place, 3rd Floor, phillyfringe.org/events/pinky-promise
