Word on Front
What is Word on Front?
This festival of spoken word, music, and solo performance will celebrate the untold and undertold stories of America!
The three-week festival will feature headline performances and presentations from The Poor Righteous Teachers, Zuhairah McGill, June Ballinger, Nikki Powerhouse, Ibrahim Miari, Marvin Bell, Theodore A. Harris, Philip AM, and our very own Executive Artistic Director Brishen Miller. We’ll also feature DJs, the winning entries of our solo playwriting contest, a staged reading of a new comedy play, and a presentation from THE CROSSING, co-produced by tencrucialdays.org
Passage Theatre’s programming is supported in part by funding through the NJEDA’s A.R.T. – Phase II Grant Program, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and the City of Trenton.
What's Playing at Word on Front?
The Art of I Am – Written and performed by Philadelphia actress Nikki Powerhouse, “The Art of I Am” blends poetry, monologue, and storytelling to challenge standards of beauty and belonging. June 26 at 7:00pm // July 10 at 7:00pm. Get Tickets
Trenton Makes, written and performed by Mala Wright – Trenton Makes blends humor, grit and memories about being born and raised in Trenton, moving through childhood scenes, family dynamics, and personal turning points with a voice that’s both vulnerable and defiant. June 28 at 3:30pm. Get Tickets
Losing My Religion, written and performed by Laura Ekstrand – In this highly personal story, a woman takes us from her childhood as an observant Catholic to the present, when she is…not. July 2 at 5:30pm. Get Tickets
The Crossing: A Revolutionary New Musical Exclusive Workshop Presentation – The Crossing is a sweeping new American musical reimagining George Washington’s Crossing of the Delaware through the diverse, often overlooked voices of the Continental Army. July 2 at 7:00pm // July 3 at 3:00pm. Get Tickets
Poor Righteous Teachers Concert – Trenton’s Prodigal Sons, Poor Righteous Teachers will return to the city to launch Heritage Week. Wise and Culture don’t take the power back, because we never lost it in the first place. July 3 at 6:00pm in Mill Hill Park. Get Tickets
In Between, written and performed by Ibrahim Miari – A semi-autobiographical one-man show that portrays the complexities and contradictions inherent in Palestinian-Israeli identity. July 5 at 2:00pm // July 5 at 5:30pm. Get Tickets
The American History of Philip-AM – This piece is a study of the origins of ‘America’ as a geographic, political and social designation. July 5 at 3:40pm // July 12 at 3:30pm. Get Tickets
Crone Barrier, written and performed by June Ballinger – When she’s dragged into a women’s sexual empowerment workshop, an unruly inner landscape of memory, humor, and a cryptic Virgin Mary cracks open. June begins to suspect that what everyone called her problem might actually be her power. July 10 at 5:30pm // July 11 at 3:30pm. Get Tickets
August Wilson’s How I Learned What I Learned, performed by Marvin Bell – From Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson comes this one-man show chronicling his life as a Black artist in the Hill District in Pittsburgh. July 10 at 8:30pm. Get Tickets
Our Flesh of Flames: Collages by Theodore A. Harris and Captions by Amiri Baraka – Theodore A. Harris is a collagist and poet, and in this presentation, will share excerpts of his collaborations with the late Amiri Baraka. July 11 at 2:00pm. Get Tickets
Sojourner, written by Richard Lamonte Pierce – Zuhairah McGill plays Sojourner Truth, the abolitionist, women’s rights activist and author who was born into slavery and eventually became a confidante to Abraham Lincoln and master debater with Frederick Douglass. July 11 at 5:00pm // July 12 at 5:00pm. Get Tickets
The Return of Travelin’ Bill, written and performed by Brishen Miller – Don’t dally, Travelin’ Bill doesn’t stay in one place for too long. July 12 at 2:00pm. Get Tickets
How Do I Get Tickets?
Single tickets are available to each individual performance; you can click the individual tiles below for any given show.
Individual Tickets — $25
…or buy multipack passes and save! In addition, Season 41 Subscription Tickets are redeemable at WORD ON FRONT 250.
Day Pass — $60: 3 tickets good for any WORD ON FRONT 250 Performances.
Weekend Pass — $150: 8 tickets good for any WORD ON FRONT 250 Performances.
Full Access Pass — $250: 16 tickets good for any WORD ON FRONT 250 Performances.
Click the images below to get tickets and learn more information about each individual act.
