EgoPo’s 2024-2025 season celebrates some of the century’s most influential Queer plays and theater artists that have had a lasting impact on our culture. EgoPo’s first mainstage production is a new telling of The Drag by Mae West, directed by Rebecca Wright, devised and developed with AZ Espinoza and Thomas Choinacky. EgoPo’s next mainstage production will be Turds in Hell by the Theater of the Ridiculous’ Charles Ludlam and Bill Vehr, directed by Dane Eissler and starring an iconic Philadelphia cast. The Drag will open on January 31, 2025 with Turds in Hell opening on April 11, 2025.
In addition to the mainstage productions, EgoPo will be producing auxiliary events titled “B-Side Series” which will feature collaborations with new and familiar theater partners to provide a variety of queer perspectives for this season. Beginning in October with an original adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ short story, Knightly Quest, presented in collaboration with longtime EgoPo collaborators Abrahamse & Meyers Productions from Cape Town, South Africa. The “B-Side Series” also features staged readings of Assotto Saint’s Risin’ to the Love We Need presented with Theater in the X this November, Larry Kramer’s A Normal Heart this December, and Jane Chambers’ Last Summer at Bluefish Cove this upcoming March 2025 presented with Strides Collective. The “B-Side Series” concludes in March with Cruising Revolutions: An Expert Panel of Queer Thinkers on the Next Revolution. Closing out the season is our fundraising gala titled Philly is Burning, which will be a Pride Ball featuring drag and ballroom performers from across Philadelphia, hosted at Jane G’s Xi West Events in June 2025.
Historically, Queer theater has been sanitized to be more approachable for a mainstream audience or stripped of the joyfulness inherent in the queer identity. This Queer Revolutions season, EgoPo seeks to celebrate the way queer artists create joy and expression through scandal and outrage by exploring influential queer plays by and for the queer community. This season’s curation was led by Dane Eissler, a performance maker, visual artist, and researcher of queer and avant garde performance who specializes in Queer Theater History. Serving on the committee is Dr. Whitney Cox, Assistant Teaching Professor of World Religions at Rowan University; Paule Turner, Chair of Rowan University’s Department of Theatre and Dance; Rebecca Wright, Founding Company Member of Applied Mechanics; and, providing support, Lane Savadove, EgoPo Artistic Director.
The Knightly Quest (October 16th-27th, 2024)
EgoPo is excited to welcome back the award-winning Abrahamse & Meyers Productions from South Africa with their adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ novella, The Knightly Quest. This piece is brought to life by Marcel Meyer, playing a gay vampire escaping from an American police state in a getaway spaceship. This spaceship is where audiences will find themselves transported as they immerse themselves in this compelling and fantastical show. Presented in the upstairs lounge of Cockatoo, a restaurant-bar in the heart of the Gayborhood, this fantastical show is a post-fringe delight for Philadelphia theatergoers.
The Knightly Quest runs October 16th-27th at Cockatoo 208 S 13th St, Philadelphia, PA 19107. Sponsored by Drs. Lisa & Glenn George.
The Drag (January 29th-February 9th, 2025)
“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” – Mae West
The first mainstage of the season is an original adaptation of The Drag by Mae West. Rebecca Wright will be directing and leading the adaptation in collaboration with AZ Espinoza and Thomas Choinacky. This performance will bring the provocative piece into the conversation about the challenges and opposition Queer folk face across the US today. Originally premiered in January 1927, The Drag was panned for its open display of homosexuality. Mae West and her collaborators on this work, all of whom were gay, were jailed a month after opening night. This piece of historical theater explores sexual and moral taboos to reveal the cost of living a double life. Closeted socialite, Rolly Kingsbury, navigates his suspicious wife, her therapist father who specializes in gay conversion, and his rowdy drag queen friends. Come for the drag ball and stay for this flamboyant and fiercely funny social satire.
Previews are January 29th and 30th. The Drag opens January 31st and runs through February 9th at Christ Church Neighborhood House 20 N American St, Philadelphia, PA 19106.
Sponsored by Dr. Joel & Mrs. Bobbie Porter. Opening Night Sponsored by Joyce Spindler.
Turds in Hell (April 9th-20th, 2025)
“This isn’t farce. This isn’t absurd. This is absolutely ridiculous!” – Brendan Gill, Theater critic
Our second mainstage of the season is Turds in Hell, a camp epic of Biblical proportion from Charles Ludlam and Bill Vehr. Most will recognize the name Ludlam from The Mystery of Irma Vep, an award-winning piece popular amongst most regional theaters across the country. While Turds in Hell matches Irma Vep blow for blow with comedy and chaos, it luxuriates itself in the provocative, the perverse, and the profane. Originally staged at midnight in a Hell’s Kitchen porn theater, Turds in Hell follows the outcast Orgone as he traverses an amoral world of angels and devils in order to confront his birth mother for abandoning him as a baby. Whether you’re a saint or a sinner, Turds in Hell is a riotous ride you won’t soon forget!
Previews are April 9th & 10th. Turds in Hell opens April 11th and runs through April 20th at Theatre Exile, 1340 S. 13th Street.
Sponsored by Ed and Susan Hoffman. Opening Night Sponsored by Barrie DuBois.
B-Side Series
EgoPo aims to capture and celebrate the intersectional and diverse experiences of the LGBTQIA+ community. While we are unable to fully capture all aspects encompassed in the Queer community, we’ve curated this reading series to contextualize our mainstage productions as well as hold space and spotlight other playwrights’ essential works.
Reading Series:
Risin to the Love We Need – Assotto Saint
In collaboration with Theatre In the X, we are excited to share the works of poet and icon, Assotto Saint. Risin to the Love we Need was awarded second prize in the 1980 Jane Chambers Award for gay and lesbian playwriting. This reading will be presented at The Rotunda in West Philly on November 3rd.
The Normal Heart – Larry Kramer
EgoPo’s Devon Roberts will direct a stage reading of Larry Kramer’s groundbreaking and largely autobiographical AIDS-era play. The Normal Heart focuses on the rise of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in New York City between 1981 and 1984, as seen through the eyes of writer/activist Ned Weeks, the gay founder of a prominent HIV advocacy group. This reading will take place at the William Way Center Ballroom on December 3rd.
Sponsored by Ken & Julie Kendall
Last Summer at Bluefish Cove – Jane Chambers
This multi-award winning play is considered to be a landmark piece in lesbian dramatic literature as the first mainstream play of its kind, Last Summer focuses on the friendships and journeys of the eight women at Bluefish Cove. This groundbreaking piece will be presented in collaboration with queer theater company, The Strides Collective, This reading will take place at the William Way Center Ballroom on March 1st, 2025. Sponsored by Ken & Julie Kendall
Readings are free at the door with a suggested donation of $10. To guarantee a seat to the reading series, you can become an EgoPo Member or Subscriber.
The Music Man – Rowan University
Members get a special invite to opening night of Rowan University’s gender-fluid production of The Music Man directed by EgoPo Artistic Director Lane Savadove, who is also the Head of Acting and Directing at Rowan. Opening night is April 3rd, 2025 at the Tohill Theater at Bunce Hall, Glassboro NJ
Cruising Revolutions: A Panel Discussion
EgoPo Classic Theater is curating a panel of Queer thinkers and experts to dive into the issues facing queer people today. This panel’s purpose is to enrich the audience’s exploration and understanding of Queer Theater’s place and influence in American culture from the last hundred years to today and beyond.
The Panel discussion will take place at 3pm on April 8th 2025, prior to the performance of Turds in Hell at Theater Exile.
Sponsored by David Barquist and Doug Schaller.
Philly is Burning – EgoPo’s Annual Gala
Celebrate Pride Month with EgoPo as we wrap up our season by honoring the legacy of queer performance in Philadelphia. It wouldn’t be Pride without a party, so slap on your finest heels and brightest lipstick and get ready to dance the night away. Inspired by the famous 1990 documentary Paris Is Burning, this special Pride Month gala will feature drag and ballroom-inspired performances from some of Philadelphia’s hottest LGBTQ+ and QTPOC performers. Guests can purchase tickets to gain access to the performance as well as to the glamorous banquet and silent auction prior to the performances.
The Gala will take place June 8th 2025, at Xi West Events, 3939 Chestnut St 1st Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Sponsored by Leslie Whipkey & Lee Hoffman
EgoPo’s events regularly sell-out, so subscribing or becoming a member is a guaranteed way to lock in your first choice of dates as well as receiving a discounted value on tickets. Don’t miss your chance to gain access to all of these season events.
Audiences can choose to subscribe, become a member or purchase single tickets to events. Subscription and membership information can be found in detail by going online at https://egopo.org/box-office or by calling 267-273-1414.
Single tickets are available according to the following breakdown:
- Knightly Quest – General Admission $25
- The Drag – General admission $38, students and industry $20
- Turds in Hell – General admission $38, students and industry $20
- Philly is Burning – GA show tickets $35, dinner & show included $100, VIP tickets include dinner & a show w/open bar at $150
Group Sales
Want to bring a school or community group to The Drag or Turds in Hell? Groups are entitled to 35%+ discounts per ticket & provided special educational resources.
Contact us at (267) 273-1414 or producer@egopo.org.
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