A speakeasy for hard times.
Saturdays at 9pm

Yearning for a lie-down, a light libation, and a whole lot of queer art? Welcome to the Layaway, a speakeasy for hard times. Tucked deep inside the historic Wanamaker Building, the Bearded Ladies are carving a cozy space to let your hair down. From acoustic daydreams to organ(ic) rapture to genderqueer tomfoolery, this intimate series will recharge your batteries, refill your cocktail, and maybe even nourish your world-weary soul. Meet us at The Layaway, where joy stored today becomes a little sparkle for the coming season!

The Kids Department
Family Programming
Sundays at 3pm

Join your favorite Bearded Ladies’ hosts on Sunday afternoons at the Kids Department: a performance series tailor-made for our youngest fans! Enjoy family-friendly live music, interactive performances, and endless opportunities for imagination and play. Plus, it’s the perfect time for grown-ups to take a well-earned Time Out. For kids & kids at heart!

Family Programming is PWYC for adults; Kids attend FREE.  

Hosts

Jess Conda

Eric Jaffe

Jarbeaux

Sam Rise

Presented in partnership with Opera Philadelphia’s “Pipe Up!” Series

Saturday September 13th at 9 PM: LindoYes!, VinChelle, and Daniel de Jesús
Hosted by Jess Conda

Sunday Sept 14th at 3 PM: ABBAsolutely fABBAlous & Biddy Bee (Family Programming)
Hosted by Sam Rise

Saturday September 20th at 9 PM: Gabriel Anthony-Muhammad, AniMalayaWorks, Jaylene Clark Owens, and Solomon Temple

Hosted by Sam Rise

Sunday Sept 21st at 3 PM: Ants on a Log (Family Programming)
Hosted by Sam Rise

Saturday September 27th at 9 PM: Santi Castro and Denise King, featuring the Return of Jarbeaux!
Hosted by Eric Jaffe

Please note that this performance will feature an ASL interpreter.

Sunday Sept 28th at 3 PM: Jarbeaux (Family Programming)
Hosted by Jarbeaux

THE WANAMAKER BUILDING

Audience Entrance
1301 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107

TICKETS

Saturday 9pm Shows

$50 Reserved Table Seat
$10–$35 PWYC GA in advance
$0-$35 PWYC GA at the door 

Please be advised that General Admission tickets DO NOT GUARANTEE YOU A SEAT. There is some seating available in the space for General Admission ticket holders, but they are First Come, First Served. If you need a seat for accessibility or mobility reasons, or have other access questions, please reach out to patronservices@fringearts.com.

Sunday 3pm Shows

Kids: Free
Adults GA: $10-$25 PWYC GA in advance
Adults GA $0-$25 PWYC GA at the door

Please be advised that General Admission tickets DO NOT GUARANTEE YOU A SEAT. There is some seating available in the space for General Admission ticket holders, but they are First Come, First Served. If you need a seat for accessibility or mobility reasons, or have other access questions, please reach out to patronservices@fringearts.com.

HEALTH + SAFETY

Masks are optional. Surgical 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.

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 www.beardedladiescabaret.com or on Facebook/Instagram @beardedladiescabaret.

CAST/CREW

CAST/CREW

Director & Curator: Sally Ollove

Design Dramaturg & Fabricator: Rebecca Kanach

Co-Curator & Graphic Designer: Jackie Soro

Producer: Carlos Diaz Stoop 

Associate Producer: Wi-Moto Nyoka 

Production Manager: Taylor Jedlinski

Project Technical Director: Kolmel W. Love

Scenic/Space Designer: doug greene 

Lighting Designer: Bless Rudisill

Sound Designer: Nat Merrill

Assistant Sound Designer: Taylor Jedlinski

Stage Manager: Lian Brody

Audio Engineer: Ophelia Evans, Natali Merrill and Taylor Jedlinski

Light Board Operator/Programmer: Nick Wacksman and Cait Foster

Spotlight Operator: Gladys Nobriga and Xander Setchko

Rigging Consultant: Tait Adams

Assistant to Mr. doug: Nadirah Crescente

Presented by the Bearded Ladies Cabaret in partnership with FringeArts

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 and Barbara Teichert.

The Layaway is made possible by the generous support of Barbara Teichert and the Wyncote Foundation.

Icon Producer
The Honickman Family
Executive Producers
Arthur Kaplan + Duane Perry
Co-Producers
Marty Maynard
Rosanne Sarkissian

About Opera Philadelphia’s Pipe Up! Series:

Opera Philadelphia has partnered with TF Cornerstone (TFC), the developer that officially became the sole owner of the Wanamaker Building last month, to reactivate the space with Pipe Up!, a performance series that aims to bring together some of Philadelphia’s greatest cultural creators and organizations and provide programming that will fill the Wanamaker with life and beauty and welcome the public back into the space through the end of the year as TFC prepares for its transformation. The dynamic series of programming built around the preservation and reactivation of the historic Wanamaker Organ is supported by a $1 million grant from the Wyncote Foundation. Additional support is provided by TFC. Capacity building support for audience engagement and development has been provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. Learn more.