As we begin 2026, the world around us feels uncertain in ways that are deeply familiar—and newly urgent. Across the country, funding for the arts continues to shrink. Nonprofit organizations are being asked to do more with less. And yet, the need for art, connection, healing, and shared humanity has never been greater.

At the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival, we believe this truth more than ever:
In challenging times, community is not optional—it is essential.

For  32 years, LAWTF has been a home for women’s voices. Founded in 1993 by Co Hosts Adilah Barnes and Miriam Reed and five other women, they saw a need and chose to build what did not yet exist. We have grown into the oldest and longest-running Festival of female solo artists in Los Angeles. Over the decades, we have uplifted more than 700 multidisciplinary artists from around the world—storytellers, dancers, singers, poets, comedians, and theatre-makers—each bringing their truth to the stage.

We have always been “small but mighty.”

That phrase isn’t just a description—it’s a philosophy. LAWTF was never built on excess or ease. It was built on collaboration, determination, and the belief that many small acts, when joined together, can create something powerful. A festival. A platform. A community. A legacy.

Today, that belief matters more than ever.

Federal and public funding for the arts continues to decline, leaving organizations like ours increasingly reliant on individual supporters. In this climate, donations are not just helpful—they are vital. Each gift, no matter the size, becomes part of a collective effort to keep our doors open, our stage lit, and women’s stories visible.

Your support fuels everything we do.

It allows LAWTF to produce our four-day Annual Festival—returning March 26–29, 2026—where women solo artists from across the country and around the world share work that is brave, joyful, challenging, and transformative. It supports mentorship, education, and community outreach. It creates space for artists to grow, experiment, heal, and be heard.

When you give to LAWTF, you are not just funding performances.

  • You are investing in voices that too often go unheard.

  • You are standing with artists who dare to tell their stories.

  • You are helping build a future where women’s perspectives are valued, amplified, and celebrated.

Our “TOGETHER WE RISE” End-Of-Year Campaign reflects who we are at our core. Like the rising sun in our campaign imagery, each contribution adds warmth and light. One gift alone may feel small—but together, they lift us higher. Together, they help our sun rise to its full potential.

We need you.

And just as importantly—we need each other.

As we step into a New Year, we do so with hope grounded in action and belief rooted in community. We believe in the power of Women’s Voices.

We believe in the necessity of art. And we believe that when people come together—especially in difficult moments—something extraordinary is possible.

Thank you for being part of our story.
Thank you for standing with us.
Thank you for rising with us.

Together, we rise!