November 04, 2021

Philadelphia artist collective Die-Cast is partnering with Drexel Westphal’s Entertainment & Arts Management (EAM) program to produce a new hybrid performance piece, Upon Re-Entry. The collaboration is thanks to the popular EAM course “Producing for Live Entertainment,” led by Assistant Teaching Professor Shannon Lacek. A key piece of the curriculum for EAM students pursuing a Performing Arts Management concentration, the hands-on course empowers students to work together to produce a professional-grade performance. Skills developed include working creatively with artists; understanding project management, planning and budgeting; revenue projection and management (including possible fundraising); understanding technical and logistical issues around production; and successful execution. In previous sections of the course, EAM students have produced the US Premiere of We’ve Got Each Other, a revival of the Obie and Drama Desk Award-winning The Tricky Part, and Well I Think You’re Beautiful Philadelphia, a one-woman show by Critics’ Choice Award nominee Lauren Weedman. 

Upon Re-Entry explores the Columbia shuttle’s tragic re-entry that resulted in the fatalities of its entire crew in 2003. Inspired by transcripts from ground control and the later return to space, Die-Cast is creating a metaphor for returning to our lives post-pandemic.

Thom Weaver, co-founder of Die-Cast stated, “Last summer, Die-Cast Company discovered that the audio and video recording of NASA’s mission control during the 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disaster is publicly available. Listening to the halting protocol and long silences, we were reminded of how we have all been suspended in a moment of helplessness, isolated from helping each other or receiving help.” 

Audiences will choose their own narrative path through this immersive on-stage experience. The piece will also be available in an immersive 360-degree digital version with closed captioning and audio description.

Created by Die-Cast, led by director and co-founder Brenna Geffers with production design by Weaver, the ensemble includes Anthony Crosby, Kishia Nixon, Rachel O’Hanlon-Rodriguez, and Hannah Wolf. The show will run Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 18-21, 2021 starting at 7:00 p.m. each evening.

Tickets are $15 general public and $10 for students and are available for purchase through the Mandell Theater: https://drexelperformingarts.universitytickets.com/  The admission time on your ticket is your entry time and does not dictate the length of your experience. You are free to explore in your own way and in your own time. 

About Die-Cast:

Die-Cast was founded by Brenna Geffers and Thom Weaver in order to explore new relationships between the visitor and space. Die-Cast incubates work within spaces that are often inaccessible to audiences or are not thought of as performative spaces. The team looks to fill those spaces with the work and have the work shaped by the space in turn.

Since their founding in 2017, they have created 18 new works in unusual spaces. Die-Cast has been nominated for the prestigious Harvey Award for Best Adaptation of A Comic Book alongside Hollywood Blockbusters. They have presented work in Art Week Miami and have created commissioned installations for the I-Park open-air gallery. They are iconoclasts in their hearts and have never worried about the hero’s journey.

Learn More About Die-Cast // Instagram 

For press inquiries:
Shannon Lacek
445-444-2910
shannon.lacek@drexel.edu
diecast.reentry@gmail.com