“Philly is a melting pot,” said local burlesque performer Ziphina, noting that diversity is also present in the entertainment and nightlife scene. “There’s just so much culture within this city.”
That’s exactly what Ziphina — who was born and raised in Philadelphia — hoped to highlight when she launched the Naughty Jawn, a show specifically prioritizing Philly’s local performers.
The show started at the end of 2023 as a monthly event that intentionally showcases people who live in or adjacent to the city — but that doesn’t mean the same handful of performers hog the stage. That’s actually what Ziphina is working against.
Some producers, she said, can be cliquey or prefer to hire friends. This can make shows feel homogenous. It also puts up roadblocks for newbies — who sometimes don’t get a chance — and even presents issues for people with a longstanding presence — as some performers who have been in Philly their whole lives struggle to land gigs, Ziphina explained.
“That just felt unfair to me,” she underlined. “I want to get in new performers and also show how diverse Philly really is.”
Ziphina said many of the show’s guiding principles were born of dialogues that emerged during the 2023 protests of venues that censored and discriminated against performers. Following that controversy, some producers started building racially diverse and gender-inclusive casts — but Ziphina, who has sometimes been the only native Philadelphian in a cast, explained that this didn’t translate to stronger consideration of locals.
The Naughty Jawn, which has featured 60 performers and worked with five venues since it launched, shows diversity not only in race or gender but also in the types of art and performing styles on display. It’s an adults-oriented cabaret-style variety show — featuring burlesque, drag, circus tricks, kink practitioners, erotic poetry, singing, stripping, games and more.
“It’s a creative and kinky space, which I really appreciate,” said Ziphina who often curates the shows based on a specific theme — like food, which included sensual and playful experiences with cucumbers, bananas, cakes, ice cubes and rose petals.
“It’s more than sexy entertainment,” she emphasized as the shows decenter the typical cisnormative and heteronormative standards of eroticism and instead uplift performers who use the space to tell a story, bring together a community, and make art.
Ziphina has been particularly inspired by performances that are emotionally moving — including a pregnant artist whose performance reminded her about bodily autonomy.
“We’re not just stepping on stage for the audience,” she said. “We’re stepping on stage for ourselves as well.”
Naughty Jawn’s lineup includes a mix of seasoned headliners with those who have three years or less of experience. For newbies, stage time improves their reach to fans. It also allows them to record content they can post to social media or send to producers, demonstrating how audiences respond to their work.
The show has sold out multiple times, boasting as many as 70 attendees in one night. After a break following the one-year anniversary in November, the Naughty Jawn is back for the first event of a new bimonthly rhythm with a 90-minute show at Fringe Bar on April 3. It’s the kick-off party of Fringe Arts Miniball (running April 3-7). Attendees can expect to see unique takes on stage and participate in interactive elements, including games and raffle prizes.
Ziphina is also launching a new website for the Naughty Jawn and it features a directory of performers — a public-facing tool artists and producers can use to connect. It’s a place that will show who each performer is at a glance — highlighting performance styles, offering bios and more.
“There’s a spectrum of performers that are starting to pop up,” she explained. “So people have more diverse interests, and their shows are so different from one another.”
Philadelphia is “pumping out performers,” she added, thanks to a breadth of classes and schools that specialize in teaching creatives a variety of performing styles and art forms.
“The dilemma then becomes, ‘Which producer should you trust?’” she said about the questions emerging artists have to navigate as they first enter the scene.
This is a serious matter, Ziphina insisted, because performing — especially in nightlife spaces and adults-oriented shows — is a vulnerable experience. Performers should feel safe not only on stage but also in all aspects of behind-the-scenes planning and collaboration. As an early performer, she said she was naive. With few producers, options were slim — but she also didn’t vet them before working together. She said she fell into the trap of trusting producers who were exploitative — hiring her just to check off a box.
Her goal with the Naughty Jawn and the new directory is to provide a more collaborative and supportive environment where people can feel empowered to showcase their talents and interests and eventually become leaders in the community who want to cultivate that for others.
“I’m hoping to inspire more people to just become producers and create their own safe and fun space for even more performers,” she said.
The Naughty Jawn will host a Miniball 2025 kickoff party at 10 p.m. on April 3 at Fringe Bar,140 N. Columbus Blvd. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit fringearts.com. For more on the Naughty Jawn, visit thenaughtyjawn.com.
