Purchase a WilmaPass to get access to these productions. Fat Ham and Minor Character will be either viewable online or through a mix or online and in-person.
Fat Ham and Minor Character will both be released digitally.
Minor Character might also be simultaneously produced with some in-person audience, depending on local conditions.
A world premiere film of the exciting new play
The ghost of Juicy’s dad haunts him and asks for revenge – on Juicy’s uncle, who has now married his widowed mom. Sound familiar? Yes, but …
This contemporary adaption of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, set in the American South, explores big issues (like toxic masculinity and cycles of violence) with a light touch. Fat Ham is the latest from award-winning playwright and Wilma Co-Artistic Director James Ijames (Kill Move Paradise).
A zany reworking of one of modern theater’s classic stories, Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya. Six translations – including Google Translate’s profoundly nonsensical one – are blended together into one wildly exciting, warmhearted collage.
Minor Character transforms Chekhov’s masterwork onto the modern stage, while keeping its humor, ambiguousness, and humanity.
This season the Wilma HotHouse acting company members will produce and present HotHouse Shorts. Each of these digital productions will be their own experiments in form and content, from heartfelt personal narratives to groundbreaking music videos to intriguing audio tours. They will be as varied and creative as our award-winning company.
These productions will be free with online registration, though we will greatly appreciate any generous donations you would be willing to make to support this work. This work is supported by the new Wilma program of regular weekly payments to the HotHouse Company members.
HotHouse Shorts will be released periodically throughout the next few months. Because they are free, they are not part of our WilmaPass season, but WilmaPass subscribers will get early access to these exciting digital productions.
Every week in February, the Wilma Theater will release one of our new HotHouse Shorts, digital performances devised and created by members of our acclaimed acting company.
These shorts are as varied in style as they are in content, reflecting both the diversity of passions and variety of talents of local Philadelphia artists.
“It’s amazing to see how aesthetically and stylistically distinct these first four HotHouse Shorts are,” said Yury Urnov, the Wilma’s Lead Artistic Director for the 2020-21 Season. “At the same time, there are thematic parallels that connect them: loneliness and separation, history and heritage, and racial and social injustice. I strongly encourage you to experience all four pieces.”
All four of the HotHouse Shorts are completely free to the public! But your donations help support Wilma’s HotHouse company and its innovative, diverse, and talented local Philadelphia artists. Please help us raise $4,000 to make exciting new programming like this possible.
Each short will be released on Friday at noon in February to anyone who registers by clicking below.
Links to the various projects, along with instructions on how to experience them on various devices, will be sent weekly to anyone who registers.
WilmaPass holders will receive exclusive early access to view the HotHouse Shorts before the general public. Links will be sent automatically to WilmaPass holders.
Additional Shorts are being created by the company, and will be released at a later date.
REGISTER FOR THE SHORTSIn early 2021, we aim to re-release some of Wilma’s digital works from 2020 and are exploring ways to collaborate with theaters across the country to share their work with you, too. These events will be an opportunity for you to have discounts, early access, or to redeem a WilmaPass ticket.
We are planning other presentations throughout the season for WilmaPass subscribers. Sign up for our mailing list for the latest!
Four Catholic conservative friends gather at a backyard party in Wyoming. Their reunion sparks riveting debates that are by turns hilarious, repulsive, and surprisingly seductive.
Winner of the 2020 Obie Award for Playwriting, the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play, and the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play! Finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
This site-specific production will be captured following strict safety procedures. After going through quarantine and coronavirus testing, our creative team will travel to a secluded Airbnb home in the Poconos, and will stay in a closed quarantined “bubble” for three weeks, getting tested regularly while rehearsing and capturing the play.
“The astonishing new play explores the lives and ideas of conservatives with affection, understanding and deep knowledge — if not, ultimately, approval.” -New York Times, Best of the Year