Alternative Theatre Festival

What is it?

Formerly, the Alternative Theatre Festival (ATF) was an open, outside forum for theatre meant to present avant-garde, experimental, and/or cool theatre to the Philadelphia community. In recent years, however, the festival has transformed into a 2 to 3 hour performance of experimental or avant-garde student written and student directed theatre. This year, the festival will be a part of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival.

When and where is the ATF?

The ATF will be held at The Platt Student Performing Arts House, located at the University of Pennsylvania's campus in Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia is in Southeastern Pennsylvania and is accessible from I-95, I-76 and the New Jersey Turnpike. The Platt Student Performing Arts House is located on the 37th block of Spruce Street. It will be held Saturday, September 17^th at 8 PM.

2011 Alternative Theatre Festival Line-Up

Judy's Turn
Written and Directed by Violette Carb

A short play based on the Lesley Gore 1963 classic Now It's Judy's Turn to Cry, and other 1960s love drama songs, that centers around identity, sexuality,love, and angst.

The Operators
Written by Anna-Lara Cook and Directed by Katherine Mosbrucker

With two "operators" observing and describing the happenings of a village, the action of the show onstage serves as narration for the real action of the play. Instead of watching the revolt and the village burning, the audience watches two people as they describe what is going on and try to get it under control.

Homelife
Written and Directed by Rebecca Levine

This piece is grounded in the idea that the "happy household" - that narrative of the "typical" American family that crystallized during the postwar years and relies on women's subservience to their husbands and devotion to their children - is a construct...a construct which, like the Jell-o mold in the piece, is actually pretty wobbly. Watch as this archetype explodes when the repressed feelings of the characters come to the surface.

Why Do You Have to Be Romeo?
Written and Directed by Annie Norbitz

Imagine scene that every high school student in America knows, the "balcony scene" from Romeo and Juliet, and perform it. Oh, except that it won't be from Shakespeare's text...it will be the text printed from everyone's favorite website, No Fear Shakespeare.

Participation in the Philadelphia Fringe Festival

In 2009, the Alternative Theatre Festival joined the Philadelphia Fringe line-up. We will be selling tickets on our Fringe website. Also, check out our (failed) limerick for the 2009 ATF on the Philadelphia Fringe Blog!