Horsegirl & Cowdaddy
Horsegirl & Cowdaddy is a world-premiere play by DJ Hills, directed by Adil Mansoor and co-produced with Soho Rep. The funny, compassionate drama follows Horsegirl, a trans woman in her thirties living a carefully routine life with her father, Cowdaddy, in rural Pennsylvania. When she falls in love with a teacher who has recently moved to town, a physical transformation forces Horsegirl to reconsider what happiness and self-determination might mean.
The production examines family, intimacy, queer and trans potential in rural spaces, and the complicated process of becoming yourself. Lindsay Smiling, the Wilma’s artistic director, plays Cowdaddy. The production is available to stream during the dates listed below; its in-person engagement ran earlier at the Wilma.
When: Streaming October 8–November 1, 2026. The staged production ran September 22–October 4, 2026.
Venue: Wilma Theater, Philadelphia, with streaming available through the Wilma’s online presentation.
Format: Online streaming; the page provides a “Stream it here” option but does not specify a streaming platform in the available text.
Tickets: General ticket pricing is not listed. Group and student tickets are offered at $30 per ticket for weekday performances Tuesday through Thursday and $40 per ticket for weekend performances Friday through Sunday, for groups of 10 or more. Group inquiries may be directed to groupsales@wilmatheater.org.
Run time: 1 hour 45 minutes.
Cast: Samora de la Brisa as Horsegirl; Lindsay Smiling as Cowdaddy; and Ni-Ni as Bethel.
Creative team: DJ Hills, playwright; Adil Mansoor, director; Lane Lavonne, assistant director; Leo Mock, intimacy coordinator and dramaturg; Jian Jung, set designer; Kate McGee, lighting designer; Rebecca Kanach, costume designer; Erik Ruin, puppet designer; Johnny Gasper, sound designer; Jo Fernandez, production stage manager; Matthew Zumbo, director of production; and Sloane Duzy, assistant stage manager.
Special performances: Previews were scheduled for September 22, 23, and 24 at 7 p.m.; the opening was September 25 at 7 p.m.; an open mic was September 28 at 7 p.m.; a relaxed performance was September 30 at 2 p.m.; a Café Chat was October 1 at 7 p.m.; Black Affinity Night was October 2 at 7 p.m.; the open-captioned performances were October 3 at 7 p.m. and October 4 at 2 p.m.; and the audio-described performance was October 4 at 2 p.m. A talkback was scheduled for September 27 at 2 p.m. Pay What You Wilma performances were scheduled for September 22 and October 2.
Accessibility and content information: The play includes simulated sex acts, partial nudity, and kink. It also contains strobing and flashing lights, loud sounds including sounds resembling gunshots, and haze. Open-captioned and audio-described performances were scheduled as part of the staged run, along with a relaxed performance.
Community partners: Post-show café events were planned with Philly Queer Book Club on September 23 at 7 p.m.; Philly’s Sex Positive Newsletter on September 24 at 7 p.m.; the Philadelphia Trans Oral History Project on September 26 at 7 p.m.; Eastern PA Trans Equity Project on September 27 at 2 p.m., alongside the talkback; Mazzoni Center on October 3 at 7 p.m.; and Philly Queer Fundy on October 4 at 2 p.m.