$7 GIRL

What is a Radical Permissionist?

Mae West (a queer, trans sex worker) wants you to be one.

“West has a knack for making well-trod conversations around consent and sexual liberation feel nuanced and exciting. They approach topics that could be overly academic, like the role that capitalism and the carceral system play in our desire, in ways that are charming, understandable, and downright cheeky.” — Josh Herren, Broad Street Review

In the lineage of Almanac’s ensemble-devised, autobiographical circus theatre pieces xoxo moongirl and The Edge, $7 Girl uses virtuosic storytelling, innovative aerial work, and titilating audience improvisation to immerse you in social issues that are often unheard. This quirky and audacious piece explores sex in personal, political, and industrial contexts as Mae questions the possibility of a world in which we can all pursue pleasure without shame, and exemplifies why the decriminalization of sex work is imperative to creating a liberated future for everyone.

”$7 Girl tests boundaries of ideas and performance in equal numbers. West’s voice and message are unique and refreshing… and this show is unlike any other.” — Melissa Strong, Broad Street Review

Four, first-look showings of $7 Girl were performed as a part of Cannonball Festival, Free Fringe Philly, and The Philadelphia Fringe Festival 2021, where it received the week 3 audience choice for circus. Four premier showings of $7 Girl were performed as a part of Cannonball and the Philly Fringe in 2023, where it once again received the week 3 audience choice for circus.

Stay in touch! Follow @almanac_us and @maeartist_, or reach out for more information on presenting and supporting this work.

Press

Circus Artists Looking Inward and Outward -Broad Street Review // Sex Workers Take Center Stage at Cannonball Festival -Tryst // Let’s Dance About Sex, Philly Fringe 2021: $7 Girl -Broad Street Review // Radical Permissionist and $7 Girl -Philadelphia Weekly // These are the Fringe shows that Philly theater insiders are most excited about -The Inquirer // The Best fall 2021 dance performance in Philly -The Inquirer // Combatting Sex Work Stigma Using Arts Advocacy -34TH Street // Anti-Trafficking, Carceral Reform, and Sex Work -Anjali Mahajan

Credits

2023 Remount
Written and Performed by Mae West
Original Music by Laura Lizcano
Devising contribution by Ella Gabriel Mason
Stage Management by Ilana Blankman
Rehearsal Space: Secret Circus Philadelphia
Performance Space: Icebox Project Space
Presented by Cannonball Festival as a part of the Philadelphia Fringe

2021 First Look
Created and performed by Mae West
Directed by Ben Grinberg & Mia Donata Rocchio
Original Music and Sound Design by Emma Luz
Devising contribution by Nathan Alford-Tate
Stage Management by Sydny Hansen
Rehearsal and Performance Space: the MAAS Building
Presented by Cannonball Festival as a part of the Philadelphia Fringe

Community Outreach

$7 Girl is, at its core, a piece of theatre for social change. Almanac partnered with Project Safe and the Philly Red Umbrella Alliance to provide extension programming for audiences of our first-look showings. This included a brunch talkback session, where the ensemble prepared breakfast for attendees, facilitated a feedback session, and platformed sex working advocates to share their experiences and resources on how viewers of the piece could take further action. Members of these organizations returned to host an interactive workshop on decriminalization, decarceration, and destigmatization. If you would like to help make future collaborations like this possible, please reach out to connect or offer resources!

”In Philadelphia, the work of the Almanac Dance Circus Theatre is a form of resistance to the challenges of information sharing. Organizers “infiltrate” avenues of exchange for art and performance that would prevent de-platforming common among sex workers trying to organize… As Melinda Chateuvert has described, this “tremendous creativity, dedication, and energy” around storytelling and public performance art have helped to keep the sex workers’ movement alive.”

- Anti-Trafficking, Carceral Reform, and Sex Work, Anjali Mahajan

Additional Resources