This September, the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival is thrilled to be holding its 12th Annual Empowerment Weekend. Over two days, on September 27th and 28th, LAWTF will facilitate five workshops and five panels, all led and presented by a mix of twenty-one incredibly talented and experienced professionals. As LAWTF approaches its 33rd year, our commitment to providing a space for and supporting artists with exceptional talents and richly diverse stories has only strengthened over time. This year’s EMPOWERMENT WEEKEND aims to guide and support performers as they continue to explore how to best grow their brands and share their voices in the face of these trying times. 

Since 1993, LAWTF has been dedicated to celebrating and supporting artistic diversity and the achievements of women in the arts. EMPOWERMENT WEEKEND aims to be a rich lineup of workshops and panels led by industry experts, specifically designed to elevate the skills and career choices of solo artists, while also providing information relevant to many performers.


DAY ONE: 

“OWN YOUR STAGE” 

September 27, 2025

This day of EMPOWERMENT WEEKEND is specifically all about claiming your space and owning what makes you unique as a performer. 

It’s the first of two days full to the brim with sessions led by industry experts, specifically designed to elevate the skills and career directions of solo artists, while also providing information relevant to performers, in general. Let’s have a look at what’s on the menu and what you can expect from each session.

September 27, 2025

“CREATING A SOLO SHOW” – 10 am – 11:20 am (Workshop)

  • This opening workshop is LAWTF’s bread and butter, supporting solo performers to craft the best show possible. From concept to curtain call, our workshop leaders, Terrie Silverman and Kirsten Laurel Caplan, will guide participants through the entire process – from that initial spark of inspiration, through to writing and then to performing on stage. Using writing prompts and exploring stories, structures, and narrative arcs, “CREATING A SOLO SHOW” is the perfect way to start the day. 

“TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK” – 11:30 am – 12:45 pm (Panel)

  • With Terrie Silverman acting as moderator, this panel – including multi-disciplinary performers, producers, educators, and publicists – is our first panel of the week-end. Presenters will share with attendees their expertise around the importance of collaborative creative teamwork and the roles of  those needed to bring solo shows to life.

“FUNDING YOUR VISION” – 1:45 pm – 3 pm (Workshop)

  • After a brief pause for lunch, we kick the afternoon off with Erin Coleman and Rejyna Douglass-Whitman with their interactive funding workshop. We’ll cover options from grant writing to crowdfunding to individual sponsors, and those attending who may already have funded projects are also encouraged to share their own success with funding, too!


“BRANDING YOUR ARTISTIC VOICE” – 3:10 pm to 4:20 pm (Panel)

  • This valuable panel, led by Nicole Soul, will lead attendees in taking the clearest, most authentic representation of their creative vision and turn it into marketing success. Participants will learn how to articulate their creative voice and values while still aligning their public presence in a way that draws in audiences to experience their work. 

“NETWORKING WITH PURPOSE” – 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm (Workshop)

  • Navene Shata and Erin Coleman will lead Day One’s final workshop, a networking session that taps directly into one of the core purposes of EMPOWERMENT WEEKEND. Our workshop presenters will guide participants as they effectively explore tools to communicate their creative vision, and build relationships of mutual trust and respect that will benefit everyone’s development and career. 

 

DAY TWO:

“FUEL YOUR FIRE” 

September 28, 2025

Hold on tight as we delve into another jam-packed day of EMPOWERMENT WEEKEND. We’ll keep the creative fires burning as we dig deeper into what fuels us as performers to ensure the show goes on!

“MOVEMENT & MINDFULNESS” – 10 am – 11:20 am (Workshop)

  • What better way to make sure your mind, body and spirit are fully awake and engaged for the day’s events? Find connection within yourself and with your peers through meditation, and movement, all guided by our own workshop facilitators, Sona Lewis and Jana Krumholtz.

“ARTISTS IN THE FACE OF PERSONAL AND COLLECTIVE CHALLENGES”
– 11:30 am – 12:30 pm (Panel)

  • With these uncertain times that we are all facing at this moment, this panel is a must-attend session. Moderated by Navene Shata, this session will take a look at how vital self-care can be as an act of resilience, resistance, and personal renewal.

“WRITING FOR HEALING” – 1:45 pm – 3 pm (Workshop)

  • This transparent workshop will allow space for the creative and therapeutic benefits of writing in real time of writing exercises. Participants will explore their vulnerability and authentic selves through various writing prompts in a safe space under the careful guidance of Terrie Silverman and Kirsten Laurel Caplan.

“STORYTELLING CIRCLES” – 3:10 pm – 4:20 pm (Panel)

  • Moderated once again by Navene Shata, this panel of experts will explore how personal stories and experiences can be transformed into powerful performances and reclaimed as a form of artistic autonomy. In this panel, participants will have the opportunity to reflect on their own storytelling journeys, offering insights into the process, challenges, balance, and how it is possible to make a living through this craft.

“ANCESTRAL POWER & CULTURAL LEGACY” – 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm (Panel)

  • Our final panel of Empowerment Weekend that will include (names) will bring us all together in celebration of the power of memory, tradition, and personal narratives derived from our own unique heritages. Participants will be encouraged to reflect on their own familial and cultural histories by sharing how they have been impacted in telling their individual stories.

—

EMPOWERMENT WEEKEND, on September 27-28, 2025, kicks off with an intimate interview with LAWTF Co-Founder, Adilah Barnes. With everything EMPOWERMENT WEEKEND has to offer, this interview is a great introduction to this year’s educational event. 


“ZOOM IN WITH ADILAH”

Friday, September 26, 2025

7pm

ZOOM

Co-Founder Adilah Barnes will be interviewed by longtime award-winning LAWTF performer and teaching artist Juliette Jeffers. 

 

This ZOOM interview will focus on LAWTF’s chance meeting beginning with Adilah Barnes and Miriam Reed in 1993 that turned into LAWTF and the Festival’s journey over the last 32 years. The interview will also dive into Adilah’s history as an award-winning actor, producer, bestselling author, international women’s literary retreat founder, acting and writing instructor and coach to many celebrities. She has a lead role in the upcoming film, “Love the Skin You’re In“ and an upcoming commercial.

Interviewer Juliette Jeffers is an award-winning Caribbean-American performer, filmmaker, director, and teaching artist. She has performed all 5 of her solo shows on stage with LAWTF. Juliet currently guest-stars on the TV series “The Residence” and “Tulsa King“ and is presently working on her Caribbean-based short film, “Pan Gyul”, shot in St. Nevis. Very accomplished in the business, Juliette has appeared in 22 films, 42 TV shows, and over 60 commercials.

RSVP at bit.ly/ZoomInAdilah to receive the Zoom link on the day of the event.

 

BONUS! 

Don’t forget, at the end of Day 2, there will be a raffle held with an awesome array of prizes, and the money raised will go directly to helping us here at LAWTF continue to run fantastic events like this in the future.

There is still time to buy your tickets and make the most of everything Empowerment Weekend and LAWTF have to offer. Follow the link below to secure your spot: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lawtfs-2025-empowerment-weekend-tickets-1596462003829 

Student discounts are also available for Empowerment Weekend. Contact LAWTF at info@lawtf.org for student ticket information.

We can’t wait to welcome you to our event!