Rose: You Are Who You Eat
Jun
5
to Jun 23

Rose: You Are Who You Eat

A TRUE STORY OF GENDER FEASTING, SET TO MUSIC

Once upon a vine, John Jarboe’s aunt revealed that John not only had a twin sister in the womb, but that John consumed her: “You ate her. That’s why you are the way you are.” This was a lot for John to swallow! In this musical shrine to the consumed twin, named Rose, John welcomes you into a feast of gender through song, storytelling, and a full plate of wordplay.

From a commission by Works & Process at the Guggenheim

View Event →
The Rose Garden
May
9
to Sep 29

The Rose Garden

  • The Fabric Workshop and Museum (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

The Rose Garden is an immersive performance space filled with video, music, and objects devoted to John’s consumed twin, named Rose. Visitors can weave their way through a multi-room domestic environment reimagining John’s gender journey. Through interaction with surrealist inspired video sculptures, visitors will discover a series of short films with original songs, hidden treats, and an immersive maze of memories and provocations. The experience culminates in a hang out space made by and for trans and queer communities that will serve as a site of performances and gatherings, including live cabaret, community conversations, and clothing swaps, throughout the run of the show.

Tickets are free, timed entry for groups of up to 6.

View Event →
Do You Want A Cookie?
Sep
5
to Sep 16

Do You Want A Cookie?

What is cabaret? Is it an escape? A healing ritual? A place to preach to an already converted choir? A safe place to sing dangerous things? Or just a bunch of Liza Minnelli’s in a room? The Poison Cookie Project is an immersive and interactive journey through the history of an often hidden and much ignored form made by the people who love it. Featuring artists from Poland, Paris, New York City, Berlin, Mexico City, Seattle, and our own beloved Philadelphia, The Bearded Ladies look to our ancestors to discover what it means to make radical art. What secrets, lessons, and tactics do our cabaret ancestors have to offer to us and our audiences?

View Event →
Bastille Day
Jul
14
5:30 PM17:30

Bastille Day

Eastern State Penitentiary is teaming up with The Bearded Ladies, an experimental cabaret troupe, to present the entire French Revolution in an hour-long spectacle of song, dance, and raining Tastykakes for the penitentiary’s annual Bastille Day festival, to be held Saturday, July 14, 2018. Continuing with the annual theme of oppression and revolution then and now, the Bearded Ladies will connect past and present with a topical commentary on our political climate today. Guests can expect a show that is, as the Beards say, “both intellectual and accessible, entertaining and meaningful, stupid good and just plain stupid.”

View Event →
You Can Never Go Down The Drain
Jun
20
to Jul 1

You Can Never Go Down The Drain

Mr. Rogers always said: no matter how bad things are "you can never go down the drain."  Using and abusing iconic songs from the program, Philadelphia's Bearded Ladies Cabaret put this idea to the test. In this performance, expect a goldfish funeral, gay romps into the land of make-believe, and some earnest questions about irony.

View Event →
Do You Want A Cookie? Test Batch
Jun
1
9:30 PM21:30

Do You Want A Cookie? Test Batch

The Bearded Ladies welcome audiences into their Test Kitchen, where local and international cabaret artists try out recipes for the perfect cabaret confections. We’re baking what you want, what you need, and what you won’t admit you crave. This first batch of cookies uses the best international ingredients with some locally-sourced artists. Part Great Cabaret Bake-Off, part irreverent romp through cabaret history: we’ve got recipes for subversion, joy, provocation, and community in this amuse bouche for September’s DO YOU WANT A COOKIE?

View Event →