Call it a case of perfect timing.

At this time last year, the 16th Street Theater, 6420 16th St., had just recently revealed its interior makeover, courtesy of the North Berwyn Park District. All it needed was someone like Ann Filmer to come along.

Lacking a professional theater in Berwyn when she moved from Chicago to the suburbs in April 2007, Filmer took an active role in jump-starting a theater program in the city. By July of that year, she was working alongside the Park District to help use the 49-seat theater to its full potential.

Twelve months and a learning experience later, the theater and Filmer are ready to open the 16th Street Theater for the Words In Motion Festival, running Friday, July 11, through Saturday, Aug. 16.

Having hosted previous performances, the feedback Filmer has received is that of key support from the community.

“People seemed fulfilled. Audiences feel more like the actors are looking right at them because it’s a small space and it’s more intense, in a good way. People feel like this is their theater, and they really feel like they are a part of it,” Filmer said.

In choosing productions for the Words in Motion Festival, Filmer first picked three playwrights whose work she wanted to showcase.

“These playwrights are ones that I really enjoy and love the work of, and they have something significant to say. I’m really interested in working with the Shakespeares of today, who focus on dealing with what it’s like to be human,” she said.

First on the lineup is Arlene Malinowski’s “Aiming for Sainthood” and “What Does the Sun Sound Like?” the first two pieces in her trilogy of works, set to take the stage July 11 to 20. Based on Malinowski’s life, the solo performances focus on growing up with two deaf parents and incorporates sign language.

Looking to provide a level of healing to her family, Malinowski explores the path to restoring faith in a situation unimaginable to many.

“She’s trying to be a saint and save the family, but it’s about what it means to have faith or not have faith. It’s about learning why people believe the way they do and what it is to be a good person,” Filmer said.

“Stories about people are so much more interesting, heart-wrenching and truthful than anything you’ll ever see on TV,” Malinowski added.

From Thursday, July 24, through Saturday, Aug. 2, Susan Hahn will take the stage for her production of “The Scarlet Ibis,” a journey through her collection of 43 poems following a magician, a bird and a lady. The idea of performing a play provides audiences with a way to see how words move on stage and allows imagination to take over, Filmer said.

Closing out the fest from Thursday, Aug. 7, to Saturday, Aug. 16, is Elizabeth Berg’s “The Pull of the Moon,” a story of a middle-aged women who one day decides to pick up and leave home, sending letters to her husband and documenting her travels along the way.

“She’s interested in shaking her life up a little. It’s showing a mid-life crisis from a woman’s point of view,” Filmer said.

The eight shows are $16 each. Tickets are available online at www.16thstreettheater.org.

“There’s nothing greater than to have a dialogue with the audience. You have this experience with them, and there’s nothing else like it,” Malinowski said. “When you see good theater, it changes who you are and how you see the world.”