Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design
Mandell Professionals in Residence Project (MPiRP)
Current Residency: Azuka Theatre
A Department of Performing Arts collaborative program bringing theatre and dance professionals on to the Drexel campus for performances, production and instruction.
2009 MPiRP Resident Show Bluebird with EgoPo Productions and Orchestra 2001. Photo by Kara Khan.
Check out MPiRP images from CCTC, Pig Iron Theatre Company, and PROM!
 Nominated for the Barrymore Excellence in Theatre Award for New Approaches to Collaborations |
Philadelphia is fast becoming one of the most important places in the country for innovative and exciting theater and dance. MPiRP provides valuable space for some of these up and coming performing arts organizations and artists. Drexel hopes to be an artistic home and fill a void for quality performance space in the Philadelphia performance community. Residencies vary from a single artist (actor, playwright, director, choreographer, designer) to a full company in residence. The specifics of each residency vary depending on the needs and talents of the particular partners. Each unique collaboration is designed to benefit both Drexel and the professionals with the goal of giving students a unique educational experience and offering the professionals in residence the resources and diverse talents that Drexel has to offer. Professional residencies have full use of the Mandell Theater complex including rehearsal space, along with limited use of scene and costume shops and a 400+ seat proscenium stage with a fly system. |
Current Residency Events:
Theater
Azuka Theatre will celebrate their 10th Anniversary Season with a residency at Drexel in fall of 2009 and present The Long Christmas Ride Home by Paula Vogel. The play, which combines exquisite storytelling, music and puppetry, tells the story of a family on the way to grandmother’s house and the ill-fated car ride that shatters their lives.
Azuka Theatre got its name from the Nigerian language Ibo. "Azuka" means "strong foundation," particularly the strength of one's back. Azuka produces theatre that strengthens the connection and shared humanity among its diverse audiences by giving voice to the people whose stories go unheard. They are inspired by the idea that by producing new and diverse productions, people will become more aware of, involved in and supportive of their communities.
The Long Christmas Ride Home will be directed by Aaron Cromie a Philadelphia based, multidisciplinary theatre artist who has collaborated as performer, designer, director, writer and musician with several companies including Arden Theatre Company, The Folger Shakespeare Theatre, Walnut Street Theatre, Mum Puppettheatre, The Studio Theatre, Wilma Theater, Lantern Theater and Shakespeare Theatre among others. He toured nationally with Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story and is a graduate of The Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre. Aaron designed the puppets for The Studio Theatre of Washington D.C.’s production of The Long Christmas Ride Home. Click here to see some of his creations.
Aaron will also be teaching an Advanced Puppet Class on Monday nights from 7:00 – 9:50 PM. The class will create the puppets for the show and learn about puppet creation and use in performance.
In addition to the production Azuka Theatre will sponsor three workshops during their residency. The workshops will cover Eastern Music, Noh Theater and Bunraku Puppetry. More information on those workshops will be coming soon.
Students will be involved in all areas of The Long Christmas Ride Home. Although auditions were already held, students can still be involved in the backstage and marketing work on the show. This is an opportunity to work with a professional theater company and gain a professional credit on your resume. Any interested students should contact Nick Anselmo at nick.anselmo@drexel.edu for more information.
The Mandell Professionals in Residence Project, which is supported in part by a grant from the Samuel P. Mandell Foundation is an ongoing collaboration with the professional theatre and dance communities of Philadelphia and Drexel University. Members of the Drexel University community will be enriched by the high quality of dance and theatrical productions being offered through MPiRP in the Mandell Theater. In addition to receiving discounted tickets for MPiRP performance events, students will benefit from workshops and opportunities to gain hands on experience with established professionals.
"It's great to be able to get a professional credit to our name at such a young age, and the fact that they (the professional artists) are so willing and so happy to share this with us. It's been a really great experience." Rachel Semigran, Junior - English
"Its completely changed the way I work seeing how they carry themselves in a rehearsal atmosphere and how they carry themselves in performance and I think that it has brought all of us to the next level." Jeremy Toll, Freshman - Music Industry
Click here to hear more about what students and professionals have to say about MPiRP
Future Residencies:
Current and past MPiRP participants
- EgoPo - Nominated for a Barrymore Award
- Orchestra 2001
- George Crumb
- The Pig Iron Theatre Company
- New Paradise Laboratories - Nominated for a Barrymore Award
- Siobhan Davies Dance & Carl Paris - Dance Lecture
- Commonwealth Classic Theatre Company
Check out MPiRP images from CCTC, Pig Iron Theatre Company, and PROM!
For more information or to apply to be considered for a residency please email Nick Anselmo
