In March, Philadelphia will be treated to the 2025 International Women’s Day Festival, a two-day, two-venue celebration of women’s voices, lives and talent. The festival will comprise three events on March 7 and March 8, the main event being “An Unfinished Herstory,” a performing arts production with 30 women artists. Also included will be “Seven Workshops,” a range of workshops for performing arts enthusiasts of all levels and genres, and “Runway Rebel,” a fashion show for everyone who dreams of walking the runway.
Festival Artistic Director Della Cowall spoke to PGN about the festival’s origins.
“International Women’s Day is celebrated every year in March,” Cowall said. “A couple of years ago, I took note of all the events that were taking place, and I saw that nothing was being done in Philadelphia. I thought this was kind of important, so last year I decided to get together with a group of talented, committed women and we pulled together the first festival.”
“It was a one-day, all-volunteer affair, and the thing we realized was, by financing it ourselves, it took the consumerism out of it,” Cowall added. “The result was really wonderful.”
The same self-financed, all-volunteer ethos is being followed with this year’s festival. Cowall’s own organization, Née Danse/Theatre, is presenting the overall event.
The main performance event, “An Unfinished Herstory,” will be held in the evening at Christ Church Neighborhood House on both dates, and will comprise more than a dozen short pieces, averaging around five minutes each, featuring 30 women artists. The performances will be in various genres, including music, dance, theater, poetry, spoken word, clown and more.
With such an array of women artists being assembled, it’s natural that LGBTQ+ talent would be included in the mix. One such talent is Irmak Sagir, a native of Turkey, born in Istanbul, but now a resident of Philadelphia.
Sagir will be presenting her original solo work, “You Have My Word.”
“It’s about domestic living spaces, and how one navigates that space when the person who’s shared it with you is gone,” Sagir said. “I guess it’s somewhat about queering the experience of grief.”
“Seven Workshops” will also be held at Christ Church Neighborhood House on March 8 during the day.
“We already had the space, so we thought — why not have another event during the day?” Cowall said.
The topics to be workshopped will include, among other things, domestic violence, Scottish Highland dancing, writing, grassroots marketing strategies, solo performance and clowning.
Serving as a sort of capstone to the International Women’s Day Festival, “Runway Rebel” will serve as a closing-night party late Saturday night at the third-floor Skinner Studio at Plays & Players. As Cowall describes it, the studio will be reconfigured as a fashion show runway, and anyone who applied can strut the runway in whatever fashion suits their personality. As described in their press release, it can be “your best or most despised, pulled from deep in your closet, stolen from your bestie’s, or borrowed from your mom or dad.”
The attendees will also be welcome to imbibe their favorite beverages at Quig’s Pub next door.
The International Women’s Day Festival will be held March 7-8 at various locations. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit needanse.com.
International Women’s Day Festival Schedule
“An Unfinished Herstory”
March 7 and March 8, 7 p.m.
Christ Church Neighborhood House, 20 N. American St.
Admission: $25
“Seven Workshops”
March 8, 10 a.m.–5:15 p.m.
Christ Church Neighborhood House, 20 N. American St.
Admission: $25
“Runway Rebel”
March 8, 10 p.m.
Skinner Studio at Plays & Players, 1714 Delancey Place
Admission: Pay-what-you-can