Lights, sound, activism! The Beardmobile brings the Love Tour to South Philly
Celebrate the magic of queerness with take out cabaret.
The Bearded Ladies Cabaret Company’s Beardmobile will be making some stops in South Philadelphia over the next couple of weeks as part of their Fall Love Tour. The “roving cabaret truck” will visit FDR Park and the municipal parking lot at 1628 East Passyunk Avenue for a few pay-what-you-wish performances as part of the 2021 Fringe Festival.
The trio of South Philly shows include two in FDR Park: Friday, 9/17 at 6pm and Wednesday, 9/29 at 4pm. The show on East Passyunk Avenue takes place on Saturday, 9/18 at 5pm.
The East Passyunk Avenue performance will benefit Cooks Who Care, an organization which promotes well-being within the food and beverage industry. Donations made at the event or via the reservations link will go to Cooks Who Care.
The Bearded Ladies Cabaret is a Philadelphia-based troupe of artists who use cabaret to tackle the politics of gender, identity, and artistic invention with sparkle and wit. The ten-year old troupe describes their Beardmobile as “a big, gay mobile performance unit, glitterfully outfitted for socially-distanced performances and political actions.”
The Beardmobile was a creative response to the COVID-19 pandemic—a way of bringing the show to the people and performing live safely. “COVID-19 left so many artists underemployed and so many organizations on shaky ground,” says John Jarboe (she/her), Artistic Director of The Beards. “We designed the Beardmobile not only to showcase Bearded Ladies artists, but also to be a resource for performing arts and social justice organizations in Philadelphia.” The spring 2021 tour was so well received that they decided to do it again this fall with a new group of collaborators.
On East Passyunk, the collaborators include East Passyunk Business Improvement District (EPABID) and Passyunk Avenue Revitalization Corporation (PARC). “East Passyunk Avenue is thrilled to have the Bearded Ladies Cabaret return as part of the Fringe Festival and present such an exciting and dynamic performance here on the Avenue,” noted EPABID executive director Adam Leiter, “The caliber of the entertainers involved is equally matched by the group’s commitment to community support, and we’re looking forward to experiencing a great show while also helping Cooks Who Care and our service industry members in East Passyunk.”
The South Philly stops (details below) are part of a larger four-week tour. For information on the full Bearded Ladies Fall Love Tour, follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
Watch a promo video for The Beardmobile.
The Beardmobile will be in South Philly on these dates:
Back on Truck! Love Tour Hosts Show
6pm, September 17, 2021
FDR Park
The Beards aren’t on Grindr, but we’re always down to host. Join us for another evening of bad truck puns, gay hijinks, and plenty of host-on-host action. Featuring Anthony Martinez-Briggs, Cookie Diorio, Jess Conda, Brett Robinson, Sam Rise, Eric Jaffe, and John Jarboe.
Love Tour East Passyunk Style: A Show for Cooks Who Care!
5pm, September 18, 2021
1628 East Passyunk Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19148
Join the Ladies as they visit their friends at East Passyunk Avenue Business Improvement District and Passyunk Area Revitalization Corporation. Hosted by Jess Conda and featuring PJ Brown, Johnny Showcase, Rumi Kitchen and the Beardmobile Band. Donations made at the event or when making the reservations will go to Cooks Who Care.
Support for this performance is made possible by the Culture In Neighborhoods Grant from the Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture, and Creative Economy.
Love Tour Presents: Wilma Portable Studio
4pm, September 29
FDR Park
Teaching Artists from the Wilma Portable Studio and artists from the Philadelphia Senior Center board the Beardmobile for an evening of live art and performance. Hosted by Anthony Martinez-Briggs a.k.a US.
