The Drexel Players Present : Cake

Post by James Haro:

Today we sent our postcard artwork to Fireball Printing. Last year's cards were designed by Danielle Brief who created the beautiful image of a wooden artist mannequin wrapped in colored yarn.

Producer Julie Mercik (who also photographed our image) shared her thoughts about this years postcard...

"The image we chose for our post cards was a true collaboration between Laurel (Hostak), James, John (VanZelst), and myself.  We chose a cake, because it is the most iconic symbol of strike at Drexel.  After our post strike meal is done, there is ALWAYS a cake for everyone to enjoy. However,  we were eager to let people know this wasn't a birthday cake, which is why we chose to put lightbulbs in it.  You'll notice they are similar to the dressing room light bulbs that are in our Fringe Guide image.  Finally, we chose to cut the cake, which left us with two images that embody themes in the piece: both the single piece standing alone by itself, and also the big cake that is missing a piece."

We're so proud of our image and we're excited to put them out into the city. We also want to thank cast-member and graphic designer Camilla Kronenwetter (CAMI!) who designed the beautiful layout.


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Parts: A Speed-Through is a devised theatrical piece created by the Drexel Players which will be playing in Philadelphia, September 6-14.

For tickets, please go to :
fringearts.ticketleap.com/parts-a-speed-through

Our Dream is Called Make Believe...

Post by James Haro:

Holy heck-a-moley, it's August!

When did that happen?

Well, if you're here than you may or may not know that the Drexel Players are getting back into the Fringe of things.

Last night, Aug. 1st, marked the first rehearsal for our devised theatre piece, "Parts: A Speed-Through."

Map of our playing space

Cast members Cami, Carl, Garth, Jason, Jourdan, Mikaila, and me, convened in the Mandell Theatre Green Room and read through the current draft of "TOWN by Gene Wilder." Director, Laurel Hostak, also led us through an exercise which had us all give an imaginary tour of our childhood bedrooms. It was really something extraordinary. When my fellow cast members spoke and walked around the invisible space you could see that they were instantly transported to another place, an important place. 

The idea of being at home, or creating a home, and living there with other people is such an important part of our play.  We all (hopefully) have a place we can call home. For theatre people, we sometimes make our time within a production our home. What is beautiful and tragic about that idea is the fact that every production ends, and with that we are forced to leave our "family."

As we move through the rehearsal process we will be exploring how our characters exist on-stage and backstage, and whether or not as individuals they can call this production of "TOWN by Gene Wilder" another home.

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Parts: A Speed-Through is a devised theatrical piece created by the Drexel Players which will be playing in Philadelphia, September 6-14.

For tickets, please go to :
fringearts.ticketleap.com/parts-a-speed-through

Drexel Student Fringe Piece Puts "Parts" on Display (For Immediate Release)

July 22, 2013

Drexel Student Fringe Piece Puts “Parts” on Display

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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