Legends House celebrates 15th season with powerful new production "KOLD: The Truth Behind the Tales"

The Philadelphia theater program created for Black girls returns with an original production exploring identity, immigration and the stories often left untold.

For 15 years, Legends House has been helping Black girls find their voices through the arts.

Now, the Philadelphia-based theater summer camp is preparing to debut its newest original production, "KOLD: The Truth Behind the Tales," a thought-provoking performance that blends fairytale storytelling with real-world conversations about immigration, identity and humanity.

The performance will take place Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026, at the Perelman Theater inside the Kimmel Center, with shows at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are $64, including fees.

The production is inspired by the word ICE, but asks audiences to think beyond politics.

"It isn't about politics. It's about humanity," one student said. 

Legends House founder Shayna Yvonne Rudd said the idea grew from what she witnessed while working as a school therapist.

"I saw how young people were impacted by what was happening with ICE," Rudd said. 

One of those voices belongs to Dazani "Serenity" Lewis, who joined Legends House when she was just 3 years old. Now preparing to head to college, Lewis is helping bring this year's production to life.

"During my senior year, I led a protest against ICE for school," Lewis said. "I led a lot of kids out of my school. We went through the boroughs and talked to lawmakers."

Her mother, Rasheeda Madrid Jones, said the program has helped shape her daughter's confidence.

"She was very confident. She believed in herself," Jones said. 

The original production asks difficult questions through the lens of fairytales.

"How come immigrants don't get that happy ending?" Rudd asks. "How come we don't have fairytales about Black girls from the ghetto?"

Those conversations have become a signature of Legends House, which combines theater, dance and performance training with mental health support for young Black girls.

Rudd founded the organization more than 20 years ago while attending Howard University. Today, the program continues to mentor young women on and off the stage.

"They know exactly what they're getting from me. They know I'm not fake," Rudd said.

Participant Makayla Miles said Rudd's honesty has made a lasting impact.

"She's always going to tell you straight up," Miles said. "She's always going to push you to be your best."

The families are just as involved. Makayla's mother, Sabriya Miles, even photographed this year's social media campaign, including a special mother-daughter photo shoot celebrating generations of women.

"We do not want to give our great-grandmothers and grandmothers flowers after they're gone," Rudd said. "We want them to have their flowers now."

Rudd hopes every girl who walks through the doors of Legends House leaves believing in her own power.

"We needed to see a Black woman be very clear about who she is and why she's here… take Philadelphia and the world by storm," Rudd said.