Ink & Paint: a new musical about the first “girl artists” at the Walt Disney Animation Studios

Pier Players Theatre Company will present the Philadelphia premiere of Ink & Paint at The Media Theatre. This is an original musical by Danielle E. Moore, running from March 7-9, 2025, in the Crystal Room at the Media Theatre. This semi-staged production is produced by Chelsea Cylinder, Artistic Director of Pier Players. Christian Ryan, Artistic Director of the Media Theatre is very excited to host Pier Players Theatre Company for this event.

Created by Danielle E. Moore, Ink & Paint is a new historical musical that follows the first women animators at Walt Disney Studios in the 1930s and 1940s—the studio’s first “girl artists.” As they navigate a male-dominated industry in the shadow of global conflict and labor uprising, these four women show the impact of their art and the strength of friendship.

Ink & Paint is presented as part of Media Theatre’s Story Series – a new initiative to bring new, untold, and/or distinctive stories into the Media Theatre’s space—from world premiere plays to contemporary musicals and more.

Set in the golden age of hand-drawn animation, the wild, wisecracking women of Ink & Paint fight tooth, nail, and paintbrush for their place in history. But to this day, they are seldom recognized for their work. Through a fantastic, fully original score and insightfully written scenes full of laughter and heartbreak, Ink & Paint unlocks a truth about a studio that we all know and love. And, the musical is being presented just in time for Women’s History Month.