Theater

Dec 12, 2018 • Jen Retter

Dr. Shandell Featured on African American Studies Podcast for Book

Dr. Jonathan Shandell, associate professor and co-director of Theater Arts, was featured in an episode of the "New Books on African American Studies" podcast. Dr. Shandell discussed his new novel, The American Negro Theatre and the Long Civil Rights Era, which unpacks the legacy of the American...

Nov 9, 2018 • Caitlin Burns

Visual and Performing Arts Alumni, Staff Nominated for Barrymore Awards

By Richard Lefler '19 On Nov. 5, Arcadia alumni, faculty, and staff from the Visual and Performing Arts Department were recognized at the annual Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre. The awards honor local artists and theater companies in Philadelphia’s thriving theater community. Robin...

Aug 15, 2018 • Jen Retter

Dr. Shandell Sheds Light on History of African-American Theatre

Dr. Jonathan Shandell, associate professor of Theatre Arts, published his second book, The American Negro Theatre and the Long Civil Rights Era, through University of Iowa Press. Dr. Shandell’s text is the first comprehensive analysis of American Negro Theatre (ANT), a historic group founded...

Jun 29, 2018 • Jen Retter

Actor and Playwright Hitchens ‘07 Shares Spooky Past

By Nicole Gieselman ’19 Director, playwright, and Acting alumnus Josh Hitchens ‘07 has been sending shivers down spines with his original, autobiographical play Ghost Stories. Directed by Ryan Walter, the one-man show is comprised of six paranormal tales that have (literally) haunted Hitchens...

Kishia Nixon ’15 and Trevor William Fayle ’13 rehearse for "Sing the Body Electric." Photo provided by Theatre Exile.

May 7, 2018 • Caitlin Burns

Theater Alumni to Participate in “Electric” New Production

Arcadia Theater alumni Kishia Nixon ’15 and Trevor William Fayle ’13 will perform as leads in Sing the Body Electric, a Theatre Exile production showing through May 13 in Philadelphia. Written by Michael Hollinger and directed by Deborah Block, the play follows Jess (played by Nixon), a failing...

Kathryn Jones • Apr 24, 2018 •3:01 pm

Louise Burns, Professor of ‘London Stage in Text and Performance’

What did you do before coming to Arcadia to teach? I was teaching at a British university before I came to Arcadia’s center in London. Before that, I worked professionally in the theater from the age of 18 until I was in my late 30’s. And then I did post-grad at Rada and King’s...

Kathryn Jones • Mar 27, 2018 •12:43 pm

Enchanted by London’s Theater Scene

I grew up in a very artistic household. Everyone in my family plays an instrument, we all are avid singers, my sister and I draw, and my father and I write. I was not only surrounded by creativity growing up, but I was actively encouraged to explore these artistic urges. And that’s what I’ve...

Jessica Derr • Feb 27, 2018 •9:24 am

Shaking It Up With Shakespeare

Fenced in by desks, a mass of bodies wander and weave among each other. Their heads are bent over slips of paper in hand, yet they never collide. Rather, they orbit each other in perfect harmony, their voices raised as one in a steady beat, chanting out the same verses over and over. Surely images...

Olivia Armacost • Feb 26, 2018 •4:12 pm

A Sisterhood of Women

The Vagina Monologues is a play written by Eve Ensler based on interviews she held privately and in groups with over 200 women. Twenty-two years after its premiere in 1996, I had the privilege of bringing one of these vignettes to life on the Stiteler stage at Arcadia University. When I...

Doriane Feinstein • Feb 23, 2018 •4:29 pm

A Dramata-What?

Freshman year of college, I couldn’t tell you what a dramaturg was. After my first play, where we had a dramaturg as part of the production, I still couldn’t have told you what a dramaturg did. But now, since I have successfully been a dramaturg for a mainstage show at Arcadia, I can tell you....

Feb 20, 2018 • Caitlin Burns

Broad Street Review Calls “Sensitive Guys” a Fresh Perspective

On Feb. 15, Broad Street Review published a glowing commendation of Arcadia’s production of “Sensitive Guys.” Critic Mark Cofta raved that Arcadia’s six-member cast, composed exclusively of female and non-binary students, acted with sensitivity and authenticity far superior to the professional...

Feb 12, 2018 • Caitlin Burns

Deavere Smith '71, '93H Stars in One-woman Show on HBO, Feb. 24

Award-winning playwright, actor, and educator Anna Deavere Smith portrays Stephanie Williams, emotional support teacher in Philadelphia, in Notes from the Field: Doing Time in Education, The California Chapter, a one-woman show featuring stories about California’s devastating school-to-prison...