ATHENA FEST, a three-day one-act festival celebrating women in the arts, showcases original plays written and performed by five female artists of all abilities reclaiming their narrative and taking over the stage. Featuring Hollywood Fringe alums Nina Rancel, Jen Rowe, Betsy Cox, Mara Weisband, and Diana Romero, they band together to continue telling their stories, this time on the west side. Produced by ArtsUP! LA with lighting designed by Douglas Gabriel, performances take place April 24-26 at the Blue Door Theater in Culver City as follows:

Friday, April 24 at 8pm: Brick by Brick, written and performed by Nina Rancel, and directed by Miles Berman, the play centers around an immigrant actress as she builds the road to her dreams one brick at a time. Nominated for six awards at the Hollywood Fringe 2025, Brick by Brick is a love letter to artists and their resilience, the power of dreams and how to succeed against all odds.

Saturday, April 25 at 6pm: IMGONNAWANNA written, performed, and directed by Jen Rowe in which a botched surgery, a locked door, a Cranberries concert, and a third-grade superhero all collide in a darkly funny solo show – a raw, comedic meditation on resilience and the absurd ways we fight to stay free when no one is coming to save us. After extensive development work with playwright/actor Lauren Weedman (Looking, Hacks, Abbott Elementary, Arrested Development), Rowe’s one-hour piece.

Saturday. April 25 at 8pm: Broke Bitch Got Rich written, performed, and directed by stand-up comic Betsy Cox presents a fearless solo show that drags the audience through her batshit Louisiana upbringing, bringing her family to life through punchline-packed character work and raw storytelling. From poverty and an uncaring father to the humiliation of undiagnosed ADHD, she spins tragedy into comedy that’s brutally honest, wildly funny, and unexpectedly empowering.

Sunday, April 26 at 1pm: Poached written and performed by Mara Weisband, and directed by Jack Kasprzak. A rendition of that familiar nightly trope that only the very best of us experience, this long night’s journey into day may even make you question your own upstairs committee as we travel deeper and deeper into the war zone with the never-mastered mind. Mara Weisband’s one-woman show is a darkly comedic excavation of grief, identity, and the uncomfortable absurdity of being alive when you’re not entirely sure you want to be.

Sunday, April 26 at 3pm: Me, Myself and Other written and performed by Diana Romero, directed by Mark Kaplan. A first-generation American grappling with the feeling of being “othered” throughout her life is forced to confront and embrace her new identity after a life-altering diagnosis results in being bonded to a wheelchair. Romero leads us through her journey of self-acceptance, resilience, and empowerment in this heartfelt and humorous solo show.

Parking is available at street meters and two Culver City municipal pay lots are located at 3846 Cardiff Ave. and 3844 Watseka Ave.  General admission tickets are $25, available online at https://www.artsupla.org. This performance is made possible in part by the City of Culver City and its Cultural Affairs Commission, with support from Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Since 2018, ArtsUP! LA has operated The Blue Door Theater as a safe, empowering home for diverse communities across Los Angeles including blind actors, musicians with autism, military veterans, and young people facing hardship.