April 05, 2019

WE’VE GOT EACH OTHER

US Premiere of Edinburgh Fringe Hit Bon Jovi Musical at Drexel

You know Bon Jovi. You love Bon Jovi. And you will really love the new Bon Jovi Musical, We've Got Each Other! Drexel EAM Productions is excited to announce the U.S. premiere of We’ve Got Each Other, the almost entirely imagined Bon Jovi musical, written and performed by Paul O’Donnell, in April. Fresh off his hit premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and armed with only his imagination, a few dance moves, and 180 light cues, O'Donnell vividly brings the beautifully tragic love story of down-on-his-luck dockworker Tommy and hard-working diner waitress Gina to life in this hilarious take on jukebox musicals.

Three performances of We’ve Got Each Other will take place at Drexel University’s URBN Annex Black Box Theater at 3401 Filbert St, Philadelphia, PA 19104 on April 18 at 8:00 pm, April 19, at 8:00 pm, and April 20th at 8:00 pm. Tickets for the general public will be available at https://bit.ly/WGEOtix and at the door prior to each performance, pending availability. Tickets cost $25 for the general public and only $15 for students with a valid ID.

Paul O’Donnell is an Associate Artist at Theatre Absolute and Birmingham Repertory Theatre in Birmingham, England. He is also Founder and Producer of Coventry's Shoot Festival. In 2018 Paul won Birmingham European Festival’s Audience Prize voted for by the audience for We've Got Each Other.

We’ve Got Each Other is the latest production by the Drexel University Entertainment & Arts Management “Producing for Live Entertainment” class, taught by professor Brannon Wiles. In just under four months, Wiles leads 15 students in producing a professional, live performance from start to finish, including securing a fit venue; coordinating travel and hotel accommodations for artists; fundraising and selling tickets; marketing and managing social media, all while creating and sticking to a budget. This gives students the opportunity to learn all aspects of producing a live show in a hands-on environment. 

About Paul O’Donnell:

Paul aims to expose the 'ordinary' in a 'spectacular' fashion. His work to date includes: an all singing all dancing harem of Pauls (Nothing!), one very 'real' cowboy in a very 'real' saloon (So Far West), a mime artist trying to break free of his glass box (One Thing On His Mime) and a full scale west-end Bon Jovi musical that is almost entirely imagined by his audience (We've Got Each Other). Paul is an Associate Artist at Birmingham Repertory Theatre and with Theatre Absolute. He is also Founder and Producer of Coventry's Shoot Festival. In 2018 Paul won BE Festivals Audience Prize voted for by the audience for We've Got Each Other. He also won the Audience Prize and Best Performer Prize at FITT Festival in Tarragona, Spain. 

About Brannon Wiles:

Brannon Wiles is a producer and general manager of Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. Credits include Broadway: the 2015 revival of A.R. Gurney’s Sylvia (starring Matthew Broderick, Annaleigh Ashford, Julie White, and Robert Sella), the revivals of On A Clear Day You Can See Forever (starring Harry Connick, Jr. and Tony® winner Jessie Mueller) and That Championship Season (Kiefer Sutherland, Brian Cox, Chris Noth, Jason Patric and Jim Gaffigan), Ring of Fire: The Songs of Johnny Cash, and Elaine Stritch at Liberty (Tony® Award); Off-Broadway:  Make Me A Song: The Songs of William Finn, Evil Dead The Musical, Martin Moran’s The Tricky Part, Criss Angel Mindfreak and John Cariani’s Almost, Maine; National Tour: Trumbo (starring Brian Dennehy). He is a professor of Entertainment & Arts Management (EAM) at Drexel University.

About the Students (EAM Productions):

This year’s Producing for Live Entertainment class is made up of 15 undergraduate Entertainment & Arts Management students. This hands-on course empowers students to work together and use skills gained in previous courses, co-op experiences, and student organizations to produce a professional-grade performance. 

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If you would like more information about this topic or you would like to schedule an interview with Drexel EAM Productions, please email Jaclyn Wayser at jackiewayser@gmail.com.