The Philadelphia Fringe Festival opened this week! The festival is a great way for artists to spotlight their work and has a rich history in the Swat Theater Community. Companies like Pig Iron Theater, Team Sunshine, and Swim Pony produce their daring work each September. Headed by Swat Theater Alum Nell Bang-Jensen (‘11), Philly Fringe celebrates its 30th anniversary this September with over 300 shows to choose from! 

In this month’s Spotlight Blog, we're highlighting some of our alums who are participating with their own work. Grab your calendar, and get your tickets now! 

TELL ME YOUR NAME 

Directed by Adrienne Mackey (‘04) 

September 9 7:15 PM, 

September 13 7:45 PM

September 18 7:15 PM 

Asian Arts Initiative, Third Floor  (1219 Vine Street)

TELL ME YOUR NAME is a solo clown show that examines intergenerational trauma rooted in Japanese colonial occupation (but really, it’s funny!). Kim plays Myeong, an otherworldly contemporary Korean Pet Shaman who summons and embodies the souls of deceased pets. (Only pets! No humans!) Through playful interaction, Myeong invites audiences to invoke memories of their dead fur babies. She then calls the pet’s soul into her own body, physically embodying and coaxing the spirit toward the rainbow bridge. What begins as a tender and absurd ritual for beloved pets gradually opens into a deeper encounter with the ghosts, memories, and stories that human beings carry across generations. Written and performed by Yeonshin Kim, TELL ME YOUR NAME explores the absurd ways we hide from the trauma of our ancestors and how some stories lie in wait until we’re brave enough to witness them.  

The Groundhog 

by Savannah Reich

Dramaturgy by Sophia Pereda-Echeverry ('25)

September 13 6:15pm

September 19 4:30pm

September 24 8:30pm

September 26 1:30pm

Asian Arts Initiative Black Box (1219 Vine Street)

The Professor gives an excruciatingly detailed lecture on 1993's Groundhog Day while slowly losing control of the classroom, losing the thread of what they meant to say, and losing their grip on reality. A tour de force monologue for one talking clown (like Groucho) and one silent clown (like Harpo). Content warning: Academia, arts education, missing dongles, PowerPoint, teaching the worst class of your life.

returned, iridescent

by Rose Farrell

Directed by Jack McManus (‘21)

September 18 - September 27 at 7:30 and 2:00 PM 

The Proscenium at the Drake (302 S. Hicks St)

Elio and Luna are lovers bound by the stars, a sun and moon destined to meet every dusk and every dawn, rise and fall, come together and drift apart, across a lifetime. With each reunion a loss, and with each departure a gain. Trans bodies shift and age, both weathered and bolstered by time, only realized through radical transformation, yet still able see the truths in one another. Elio and Luna will follow each other through the stars, and back again.

Rose Farrell's returned, iridescent is a new play and trans love story about leaving and returning, transformation, and the perpetual act of becoming. A poetic sensory experience, journey through a life long romance, and a reminder that there is still more time.

FORGE

Directed and Written by Beth Applebaum and Daniel Brucker

Featuring Frank Paz ('26) and Rose Palmieri ('24)

September 16, 2026, 7:00pm

September 22, 2026, 7:00pm

September 25, 2026, 7:00pm

Icebox Project Space (1400 N American St) 

Aretelling of Pinocchio, with Greek mythology putting in the mix, where Hephaestus, the God of Fire and Blacksmiths, is presented as the father instead of Geppetto. As a deaf character, Hephaestus also chooses to have Pinocchio being deaf, which leads to conflicted reactions from others, including Pandora, Aphrodite, and Ares.

Notice Me, Gwyneth

by Matthew Reid

Directed and Produced by Jack McManus ('21)

September 13 7:30pm

September 19 3:00pm

September 24 7:30pm

September 26 3:00pm

Plays and Players (1714 Delancey St)

GP's personal assistant is honored to work for an icon, idol, and mogul, but he knows he could do more. If given the chance, he could run the flagship GOOP store in Brentwood and usher in an inspiring new era of GOOP. If only his boss saw him as more than just the perfect assistant. . .

Notice Me, Gwyneth is a solo show that explores Matthew's attempt to impress his aloof yet loving boss, navigate what the future holds for the doting boyfriend who he's uncertain about, and always come out looking better than his workplace frenemy. As he demonstrates celery juicing, cashmere sweater combing, and more, Matthew discloses to the audience both his plans for greatness and his fears of failure.

A Day Remembering Dito 

Finally, this year’s festival will feature A Day Remembering Dito, in honor of Dito van Reigersberg (‘94). You can get your tickets for that here. Join us as we celebrate the life of this treasured Swarthmore Theater Alum.