A Conversation with Adilah Barnes, Co-Founder of the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival
In June of 1993, after attending a conference hosted by the California Arts Council, Adilah Barnes and Miriam Reed got the idea for the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival. Solo artists themselves, they sensed a desire for other solo artists to have a community where their work could be supported by one another. Inspired by the Women’s Theatre Festival in Philadelphia, which was the oldest of its kind for women in the United States, they introduced this idea to other women at the conference and “knew we were on to something, at that point, that was going to turn into something else.” Eager to create a space where audiences could see an “actor, dancer, storyteller, performance artist all on the same bill” Barnes and Reed began their journey to create this organization. 31 years later, the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival is the oldest festival for solo women in Los Angeles.
Adilah Barnes’ journey in the entertainment industry began when she was 16 in Project Upward Bound at University of California, Chico (Chico State), during which she got her first taste of stage performance. Enthralled by the feeling of being in front of an audience, lights shining on her skin, and the roar of applause confirming a job well done, Barnes was hooked. Though her original career aspiration was to become an English teacher, she quickly let that dream go. After moving from her small town of Oroville to attend UC Santa Cruz, she then landed in the Bay Area. Eventually, she transitioned from primarily being a stage performer to acting in made-for-TV movies. Her first role was in Johnnie Mae Gibson: FBI which starred Lynn Whitfield. From there “opportunities kept coming and I kept accepting them…and that’s what has guided me to where I am now.” Now, she is best known for her role in the sitcom Roseanne, in which she played Anne Marie for six seasons.
When reflecting on the growth of the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival, Barnes says it’s “grown by leaps and bounds”. The Festival was first produced during Women’s History Month in 1994 at the Los Angeles Theatre Center, without sponsors or members, and Barnes remarks that “looking back I don’t know how we did that.” That year, Angela Bassett had been nominated for, but did not win, the Oscar for Best Actress in What’s Love Got to Do with It, so instead Barnes and Reed awarded her with their own “Oscar”, and that event is what kicked off the first Festival. Now, the Festival has a plethora of sponsors, members, has produced “well over 700 women from around the globe, from six out of seven of the continents”, hosts many events and panels, and is continuing to grow.
When asking Ms. Adilah what piece of advice she would give to herself if she went back and talked to herself in 1993, she says, “trust that the work you’re doing has meaning; it is a calling”. Though she says there were many times that they thought they weren’t in the financial state to continue producing the Festival, she says “every time that happened, here came a windfall! Some miracle would happen…” Though the growth has not been free of challenges. Because LAWTF is a non-profit, there has been a heavy reliance on volunteers (board members, interns, etc). Ms. Adilah recognizes the challenges of LAWTF, and is grateful for all the people who have given their time and energy to the Festival. Ms. Adilah is also the only founding member still part of the day-to-day operations of the Festival, though she emphasizes that her six Co-Founders have made their presence known in other ways, whether by returning to the Festival, sending gifts and praise, or in any other way still being connected.
As a Black woman in the entertainment space, Ms. Adilah has had her share of challenges. Though, throughout it all, she has stayed true to her values, sometimes even denying roles that could have been financially advantageous. She says, “One thing that has been a constant for me in my life is a sense of integrity”, and goes on to quote the late, great Cicely Tyson saying, “There are many times I have been broke, but I have never been broken.”
Discussing her journey, Ms. Adilah is most proud that the organization has lasted 31 years, outliving three theatres that they have presented at. In regards to her personal journey, she is “proud of the fact that I have been obedient to my callings. And my callings have included being one of the Co-Founders of the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival, making sure that diverse women’s voices are heard”. She deeply believes that service must be at the core of organizations such as this. She has also obeyed her calling as an actor, reflecting on her one-woman show, I Am That I A: Woman, Black, through which she educated audiences across the globe (40 states, the Caribbean, Africa, and Europe)–her original aspiration of becoming a teacher coming to fruition in a sense. Formally as a teacher she has taught kindergarten through high school by way of after-school programs. Her students have also included Freda Payne, Toni Braxton, Kym Whitley, Benjamin Bratt, Don “DC” Curry, and Chris Brown. She closed out our conversation by saying that she is most proud that she has lived her life on her own terms.
Ms. Adilah’s titles within the organization include Co-Founder, President of the Board of Directors, Executive Director, and Executive Producer.