Martha Graham Cracker

Art of Life — Produced by Karen Smyles

Some people know him only as Dito van Reigersberg, but many others are lucky enough to also know him as Martha Graham Cracker, his sassy, funny, alter ego personality. Martha dances, acts, sings, and is extremely funny.

The road to entertainment begin for the Swarthmore graduate when he and a small group of friends decided to get together and form a performance group. Founded in 1995 as an interdisciplinary ensemble, Pig Iron Theatre Company is dedicated to the creation of new and exuberant performance works that defy easy categorization. The company has received glowing reviews locally and beyond, and numerous awards.

About 8 years ago, Reigersberg started performing the Martha Graham Cracker character at the occasional fundraiser or outside event, and it was such a hit that she is packing in the audiences to this day. In May 2013 Martha performed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art as part of their Art After 5 performance series and Friday Arts stopped by to see what all of the hoopla was about, and we weren’t disappointed. The stairs of the PMA were filled with Martha fans from all walks of life. It was a good time for all. We also had the opportunity to sit down with Reigersberg at Pig Iron’s Northern Liberties studio to find out more about him and the woman who has become known as the “Queen of Philadelphia Drag Cabaret”.