July 22, 2013
Drexel Student Fringe Piece Puts “Parts” on Display
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| L to R; John VanZelst, Alaina Beaver, Mikaila Kononchik, Jules Nawn, Mike Ambler, Jourdan Stein, Carl Roa. Photo by: Julie Mercick |
Philadelphia, PA
- The Drexel Players are returning to the
Philadelphia Fringe Festival with Parts:
A Speed-Through, an immersive theatre
experience conceived, produced, written, and performed solely by Drexel
students and alum. The piece
is a theatrical "undressing" about the unique, beautiful, and tragic
relationships young theatre artists share with each other. Performances will
take place in University City in Drexel’s brand new URBN Center Annex at 3401
Filbert Street on Friday, Sept. 6 @ 8pm, Saturday, Sept 7 @ 6pm, Sunday, Sept 8
@ 2pm, Friday, Sept 13 @ 8pm, and Saturday, Sept 14 @ 6pm. This production marks
the first time a Fringe show has been performed in Drexel’s brand new Black Box
Theater.
Parts: A Speed-Through invites its audience into the world of a
fictional college theatre ensemble at a fictional university as they tech,
open, close, and strike their production of the fictional stage classic, Town, by Gene Wilder. “We envisioned
this piece to be a slightly skewed self-portrait of the Drexel Players,” says
producer/co-director, James Haro (’13), a recent Entertainment and Arts
Management graduate. The producing team also includes Drexel Players President
Mike Ambler (’14), Vice-President John VanZelst (’15), and Entertainment and
Arts Management major, Julie Mercik (’14).
The Drexel
Players made their Philly Fringe debut last year with MONUMENT, a devised piece conceived by Laurel Hostak (’12) and
directed by Cara Blouin. Hostak returns this year to co-direct the piece
alongside Haro. Parts: A Speed-Through
marks the second time the Players have devised an original piece of theatre on
their own. The Players also collaborated
with The Riot Group in 2012 to create “The Poet Laureate of Capitalism,”
directed by Whit MacLaughlin, through Drexel’s Mandell Professionals in
Residence Program run by Nick Anselmo.
Tickets are $7
and will be available at the door or through fringearts.ticketleap.com.
Sponsors for Parts: A Speed-Through include Flying
Bulldog Productions, The Drexel Theatre Program, the Entertainment & Arts
Management program of the Westphal College of Media Art and Design at Drexel
University, and the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design.
As the
university's only undergraduate theatre organization, The Drexel Players apply
foundations in art, science, and industry to engage students in the creation of
fresh and thrilling ensemble work. Drawing from a core of artists and
collaborators with interdisciplinary backgrounds, they strive to empower
student theatre artists, to stimulate audiences, and to ignite a passion for
theatre in all.
For more
information, email James Haro at DrexelFringe@gmail.com.
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