GIRL DOLLS: The American Musical
Jackie Soro & Pax Ressler in partnership with The Bearded Ladies Cabaret
May 9-17, 2026
Join doll enthusiasts and certified 90s kids Jackie Soro and Pax Ressler as they rifle through their confidential childhood toy chests in GIRL DOLLS: The American Musical !
Presented in collaboration with The Bearded Ladies Cabaret and FringeArts, GIRL DOLLS is part tea party, part identity crisis—a deep dive into our country’s favorite doll franchise in search of the stories that got left out of the dollhouse. Through original songs, nostalgic PowerPoints, and serious research™ disguised as musical comedy, Jackie, Pax, and an all-star band rip open the seams of American girlhood to ask: What does your favorite doll reveal about your childhood trauma? Is Samantha Parkington a sleeper agent for the American Project? And most importantly: When everything else about America feels awful, why can’t we let go of their tiny doll hands? Bring your doll, and come ready to laugh, cry, and cringe our collective way down memory lane!
Disclaimer: This project is in no way affiliated with Mattel or the American Girl brand. We pinky-promise that it’s all totally legal!
PERFORMANCES
MAY 09-17, 2026
Saturday, May 09 at 7pm
Sunday, May 10 at 2pm and 7pm
Tuesday, May 12 at 7pm
Wednesday, May 13 at 7pm (masks required)
Thursday, May 14 at 7pm
Friday, May 15 at 7pm
Saturday, May 16 at 2pm and 7pm
Sunday, May 17 at 2pm
PRICING
$50 Supporter
$35 GA Standard
$15 PWYC, Industry, Students, & 25-and-Under
$2 FringeACCESS
To receive FringeArts Member or ACCESS discounts & benefits, log in at checkout.
VENUE
FringeArts
140 N Columbus Blvd
Philadelphia PA 19106
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
ARTISTIC/CREATIVE TEAM
Director: MK Tuomanen
Producer: Carlos Diaz Stoop
Production Manager: Taylor Jedlinski
Production Coordinator: CD Kincade
Sound Designer: Natali Merrill
Lighting Designer: Krista Smith
Scenic and Props Designer: Chris Haig
Projection Designer: Taj Rauch
Musicians
Bass/Cello: Mel Hsu
Guitar: Corinne Kite-Dean
Percussion: Mel Regn
Read More
Jackie Soro (she/they) is an artist, singer, and collaborative theater-maker dedicated to creating safer spaces and wider stages for queer stories. Their solo & collaborative works are immersive, musical, and fiercely queer, ranging from improvisational satire to meditations on identity, community, and place. Jackie has appeared on many stages, including Ars Nova, LaMama ETC, FringeArts, Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Wilma Theater and more, including DIY venues across Philadelphia. Her ensemble work has garnered five Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theater (Poor Judge, Pig Iron Theater; Gay Mis, Jaffe St. Queer; Fun Home, Arden Theater Co.; Contradict This!, Bearded Ladies Cabaret). Her work has been supported by residencies at Subcircle (ME) and Resonant Motion Inc. (NYC), and she is a 2024 recipient of the Independence Foundation Fellowship in the Arts. Jackie’s artistic practice spans from music & performance art to fiber arts & natural dye–learn more at jackiesoro.com.
Pax Ressler (they/she) is a non-binary transfemme composer, organizer and cabaret theatre artist who uses music as a participatory tool to invigorate our collective imaginations towards social change. Pax invites the performer-audience collective to rehearse their values and imagine a better world together through political cabaret (The Bearded Ladies’ “Contradict This!”), communal singing with Rise Choir Collective (@risechoircollective), and trans and non-binary advocacy in the Philadelphia theatre sector with Genderfunk Philly (@genderfunkphilly). Pax is an F. Otto Haas Award finalist and Barrymore Award-winning composer whose work has been performed around the world, on the streets in parades and protests, and in elite cultural institutions like The Guggenheim Museum, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, and La Mama ETC (Jarbeaux’s “Rose: You Are Who You Eat”). paxressler.com @paxressler
The Bearded Ladies Cabaret is a queer arts organization that sits on your lap and sings you a story. Whether it’s an opera, a home-made cabaret, a musical walking tour, or a show on a truck, we employ song, spectacle, storytelling, and heart to welcome audiences into moments of joy, healing, and subversion. Through sharing our original pieces and creating bespoke platforms for performance at home in Philadelphia, nationally, and abroad, we nurture artistic connection for a community of misfits, rabble-rousers, chanteuses and the people who love and need them. Their work has been seen all over Philadelphia including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Eastern State Penitentiary, Opera Philadelphia, the Wilma Theater, FringeArts, and the Delaware River Waterfront and they have brought their cabaret revolution to Miami, Seattle, Paris, Washington DC, New Zealand, Provincetown, Maryland and Delaware. In New York their work has been seen at Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater, La MaMa Etc, Works & Process at the Guggenheim and Lincoln Center. Their signature programs The Beardmobile and LATE NIGHT SNACKS together have provided a stage for over 500 queer and nightlife artists. Find the Beards at BeardedLadiesCabaret.com or on Facebook/Instagram @beardedladiescabaret.
SUPPORT
GIRL DOLLS was developed in partnership with The Bearded Ladies Cabaret and in part at Theatre Exile as part of their Studio X-hibition series.
SEASON SUPPORT
Funding for the Bearded Ladies Cabaret is provided by The Mellon Foundation, the William Penn Foundation, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, the Knight Foundation, the Lida Foundation, the Philadelphia Foundation, the Wyncote Foundation, the Forman Family Foundation, and Barbara Teichert.
SPECIAL THANKS
Deep gratitude for the generosity of Deborah Block, Nancy Soro, Jennifer Childs, Polly Pillen, Robyn Unger, Rebecca Wright, Chrissy Tashjian, Ambrose Gage, Kate Poole, Izzy Sazak, Hannah Gold, Avi Fidler, and all of our Patreon supporters over the years.
Content Transparency
Discussion of slavery. This performance is recommended for audiences ages 12 and up.
Health & Safety
For all performances (except Wednesday May 13th), masks are optional. Masks will be available at Front of House for anyone who wishes to wear one. Audience members are encouraged to test beforehand. Please exercise good judgement and do not attend if you are feeling unwell or are symptomatic.
Wednesday May 13th will be a Mask Required performance.
More information about FringeArts COVID policies can be found here.