Wednesday, April 26 | 6pm
This event is free, but you must RSVP.

Food provided by Wishbone Philly.
Beer provided by Flying Fish.

Join us for the Kick Off of BrideNext! BrideNext is a new initiative designed to engage and support Philadelphia’s emerging generation of artists, city workers, and activists. Hosted by Melissa Alam, Founder & CEO of Femme & Fortune and stand-up comic, the BrideNext Kickoff will be a chance for Philly’s young adults to come together and swap stories – onstage and off – on their unique experiences, opportunities, and challenges over beer and wine.

Philly theatre artists, city staff, and activists Joy Soto, Orlando Almonte, Brittnie Knight, Liz Green, and Kae Anderson, will host “Generation Story Blasts” where attendees swap tales on the unique parts of their millennial childhood experience—from Nokia phones, to dial-up internet, Pokémon, Nintendo, etc.

Tapping into Philadelphia’s artistic, municipal, and activist communities, BrideNext seeks to discover new ways of creating change through art and social interaction. Marty Pottenger is the project’s lead artist. Writer, performer, director and activist,  Pottenger is a longtime collaborator with Painted Bride., her most recent example being 2016’s “Philly Saves Earth,” a hyperlocal look at climate change written as part of Re-PLACE-ing Philadelphia.

Future BrideNext events will include art creation, civic dialogues, listening exchanges, workshops, and networking. The project will culminate in a series of original performances based on two social issues affecting the city: racial justice and educational equity.

BrideNext is a citywide collaboration with people in their 20’s & 30’s who want to put art to work making a difference in Philadelphia. If you work for the city or county, identify as an artist, or are active in a social justice movement, reach out to bridenext@paintedbride.org to learn more.

This work was supported by a Building Demand for the Arts Implementation grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.