THE DREXEL DEPARTMENT OF PERFORMING ARTS
WITH
Josh Atkinson, Dylan Crespo, Daniel David, Spencer Gordon, Will Groschopp, Declan Joyce, Kasey Lim, Macie Perry, Leyna Phung, Goose Rhoades, Molly Sample, Dallas Smith, Abby Swaney, Anastasiya Vasilenko
MANTUA THEATER PROJECT DRAMATURGS
Nick Anselmo - Lead Instructor
Mylo Gumbs, Harang Kang, Matthew Lacy, Mirella Morelli-Peyton, Grace Weachter
ARTISTICDIRECTOR
Nick Anselmo PRO MANAGER Paul Jerue
STAGEMANAGEMENT/ MOVEMENTCONSULTANT
Melody Wong
COSTUMEDESIGNER
Asaki Kuruma
Chris Totora
Janelle A. Kauffman
Faith Roberson Will Lasar Allie Bilger
WARDROBE/COSTUMEASSISTANT
Rachel McLaughlin
COSTUMEASSISTANT
Clara Boglioli
STAGEMANAGER
Sasha Gomulka
MASTERELECTRICIAN/ AVSUPERVISOR
Nikola Zvonik
PROPSMASTER
Kiara Thompson
ASSTSTAGEMANAGER
Andrey Yip
Milo Linares
Ren Monroy
DIRECTIONBY
Nick Anselmo
Dan Toll
Sophia Hannah
John Hazlett
ASSTSTAGEMANAGER
Katie Yarrish
Justin Williams
Fell Gutierrez
THE VIDEO OR AUDIO RECORDING OF THIS PERFORMANCE IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
Special Thanks: Gregory Lynch at Belmont Charter School, Dr Miriam Giguere, Hannah Burke, Ellie Ebby, Caroline Leipf, Liv Shoup, Chris Totora, Ava Jade D’Andrea, Dan Toll, and Paul Jerue
COSTUME
WELCOME FROM THE DEPARTMENT
We are excited to have you join us for this special theatrical event that shines a light on the creativity, imagination, and talents of the youth of our community. The Mantua Theater Project is committed to offering self-esteem building experiences to the youth of the Mantua neighborhoods where they can discover their self-worth through experiences in the Theatre. We once again collaborated with the young playwrights at Belmont Character School in their Out of School Time Program In 8-weeks of classes, we introduced them to the basic tenants of playwriting and then proceeded to create a gallery of characters with each of them These were human characters with the qualities of animals, inanimate objects, and forces of nature Through these imaginative characters, and some are really creative, we find that the young students can more freely express themselves and write about their concerns, wants and desires. They also make for an evening of whimsical and comedic plays, that still reveal great truths about the young playwrights who wrote them. Many of these young playwrights were featured in last year’s show, The Super Power Plays and one is actually a sequel to last year’s play that continues the life and development of the character. You can learn more about the Mantua Theater Project by visiting the website www.mantuatheaterproject.com.
The Drexel Theatre Program has a commitment to developing new work and the writers who create it. We focus on this during our winter quarter. The Mantua Theater Project presents plays written by elementary and middle school students. Join us next Saturday, February 21 at 2:00 pm in the URBN Annex Black Box Theater as we collaborate with Philadelphia Young Playwrights for their Developmental Reading Series, when we will present readings of four short plays by Philadelphia middle and high school students.
Finally, to conclude the winter quarter of new work we present our NewWorks Festival featuring brand new plays written by Screenwriting/Playwriting students from Drexel’s PageTo-Stage class developed under the mentorship of playwright Savannah Reich and Theatre Faculty member and Director Bill Fennelly on March 13 & 14 at 7:00 pm in the Black Box Theater
This production is the second offering of Drexel Theatre’s 2025-26 season This is followed by our End of Quarter Theatre Showcase which will include a musical theater cabaret, and the Advanced Improv Ensemble. We conclude our season in the spring with the Broadway musical Little Women directed by Esther M. Cohen. For more information about those events and all the other performances offered by the Department of Performing Arts, please visit www.drexel.edu/performingarts and be sure to follow us on social media (@drexeltheatreprogram).
NICK ANSELMO Theatre Program Director
MIRIAM GIGUERE, PhD Department Head, DepartmentofPerformingArts
ABOUT THE MANTUA THEATER PROJECT
The Mantua Theater Project is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) company that addresses the needs of the communities of Mantua, Powelton Village and the surrounding neighborhoods with activities that engage at-risk youth in worthwhile and meaningful experiences where they can realize their self worth and the diversity of their imagination, through positive, selfaffirming experiences of success in theater arts.
Visit wwwmantuatheaterprojectcom
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The land on which Drexel University stands and upon which we gather is part of the traditional territory of the Lenape called “Lenapehoking” (pronunciation: Lun-nah-pay-ho-king). It is here that the people called the 'grandfather tribe' and the 'peacemakers' have lived their lives, spoken their language, and held their ceremonies for thousands of years. Indeed, Lenape is translated as “real or original person.” During the colonial and early federal period, many were removed west and north, but some also remain in their homeland. The Lenape were subjected to 250 years of colonization that included cultural suppression and erasure, forced removal from this land and continue to experience systemic discrimination and marginalization.
Acknowledging this history, our privilege to be on this land, and the Lenape tribe's continued presence, is consistent with Drexel University’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We openly recognize the Lenape tribe as the original inhabitants of eastern Pennsylvania, as well as their continuing presence and relationship with their territory. We acknowledge the Lenape people as the Indigenous stewards of their homelands as well as the spiritual keepers of the Lenape Sipu, or Delaware River, and Drexel University does hereby commit to actively supporting our Lenape community members in whatever way we are able, helping to maintain the Indigenous cultural identity of Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and southern New York.
We hope that, by recognizing this Indigenous history, it will inspire you to think about your place on this land, engage in efforts to promote a community that values work towards decolonization and strengthening of Indigenous communities, here and elsewhere.
Cast & Plays
THE MONSTER PLAY
Paulina George Washington VIII............................................................... Macie Perry
Playwright.......................................................................................................... Goose Rhoads
By Mylo Gumbs, Matthew Lacy, Mirella Morelli-Peyton and Nick Anselmo
WHERE LIGHTNING AND TIGER MEET
Light - Lightning Kaminari the Lightning Bolt ......................... Will Groschopp
Tyler (TY) Bloom the Siberian Tiger Dylan Crespo
By Delawrence Stokes, age 14
A BIT OF LOVE AND HATE TOO
Bubble The Bee ................................................................................. ..................... Daniel David
Willow The by Swaney
By Shayla W
Cast & Plays Cont.
WHICH IS BETTER? CEREAL OR SALAD?
Priscilla The Spoon ............................................................................................... Leyna Phung
Christopher The Capybara Spencer Gordon
By Naisyen Jefferson, 13
ENEMY TO FRIEND
Henrietta the Squirrel ...................................................................... Anastasiya Vasilenko
Patrick the Ogre Dallas Smith
By Kameya Gambrell, age 14
A WINDY LAGOON
Rosalie the Seahorse Kasey Lim
Euswella the Tsunami ........................................................................................... Molly Sample
By Naisyen Jefferson, age 13
FIRE & TITANS
Felix the Firefly ............................................................................................................ Declan Joyce
Titan the Dritten Josh Atkinson
By Ja’sir Newton, age 14
Featuring Macie Perry as the Monster, Paulina George Washington VIII
The show runs approximately 65 minutes with no intermission.
**Actors will be making entrances through the aisles. Please keep the aisles clear throughout the show**
Love the work of our young playwrights?
Join us here again on February 21st for
The Philadelphia Young Playwrights
The Play Development Series bring together PYP students with collegiate and professional theater artists to present new student plays on stage. We continue the series in 2025 with a collaboration with Drexel University. Don't miss a one day only staged reading of four new student works
PERFORMANCE
February 21st, 2026 at 2PM
Tickets are PAY WHAT YOU CAN with a suggested donation of $15.
PDS AT DREXEL TICKETS
DEPARTMENT OF PERFORMING ARTS
DepartmentHead
Dr.MiriamGiguere ProgramDirectors
LukeAbruzzo Music
NickAnselmo Theatre
JenniferMorley Dance
AdministrativeStaff
EllieEbby DepartmentAssistant
HannahBurke DepartmentAdministrator
CarolineLeipf MandellTheaterManagingDirector
ElishaRobinson PerformingArtsGraduateAssistant
LivShoup AudienceServicesCoordinator
LaurenTracy EnsembleProductionAssociate
ProductionStaff
PaulJerue TheatreProductionManager/ BlackBoxTheaterTechnicalDirector
AsakiKuruma CostumeShopManager
ChrisTotora MandellTheaterTechnicalDirector
UPCOMING PERFORMING ARTS EVENTS
NEWWORKS FESTIVAL
March 13 & 14,2025 | 7:00PM | URBN Annex Black Box Theater THEATRE
END-OF-TERM THEATRE SHOWCASE
March 14, 2025 | URBN Annex Black Box Theater
Musical Theatre Cabaret – 5:00PM
Advanced Improv Ensemble – 8:30PM
INTERESTED? More infomration about upcoming events at drexel.edu/performingarts
MUSIC
CONCERT BAND
March 2, 2026 | 7:00PM | Mandell Theater CHAMBER STRINGS
March 3, 2026 | 7:30PM | Mandell Theater
EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC ENSEMBLE
March 5, 2026 | 5:00PM | Leonard Pearlstein Gallery PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE
March 8, 2026 | 3:00PM | Mandell Theater
FUSION BAND & ROCK ENSEMBLE
March 10, 2026 | 7:30 PM | Mandell Theater
MEDITERRANEAN ENSEMBLE
March 11, 2026 | 7:30PM | Mandell Theater
JAZZ ORCHESTRA
March 12, 2026 | 7:30PM | Mandell Theater
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
March 13, 2026 | 7:30PM | Main Auditorium
GOSPEL CHOIR
March 14, 2026 | 7:00PM | Mandell Theater
ALL COLLEGE CHOIR & CHAMBER BRASS & WINDS
March 14, 2026 | 7:30PM | Main Auditorium
UNIVERSITY CHORUS
March 15, 2026 | 3:00PM | Great Court
DREXEL THEATRE COMPANY MEMBERS
Aiden Abiuso.............................................................................................................Computer Science
Jason Adams.............................................................................................Computing & Security Tech
Nix Aronowitz................................................................................................................Music Industry
Josh Atkinson........................................................................................................................Psychology
Ben Bailey...........................................................................................................Behavioral Economics
Rhea Balajikumar.................................................................................................................Psychology
Eitan Barkat...........................................................................................................................Marketing
Serena Barone...............................................................................................................Communication
Allie Bilger......................................................................................................................Music Industry
Alexa Boyes.....................................................................................................................Product Design
Anael Brodski..........................................................................................Entertainment & Arts Mgmt
Piper Chen....................................................................................................Architectural Engineering
Rick Connor........................................................................................................................Architecture
Dylan Crespo.............................................................................................................Business Analytics
Connor Daniels........................................................................................................Biological Sciences
Daniel David..............................................................................................................Computer Science
Lois Divoll..........................................................................................................................Mathematics
Kayla Donaldson...................................................................................Animation and Visual Effects
Kai Doron..........................................................................................................Environmental Science
Jonah Elburn...........................................................................................Entertainment & Arts Mgmt
Erik Everitt...............................................................................Interdisciplinary Professional Studies
Sasha Gomulka......................................................................................................................Pyschology
Spencer Gordon............................................................................................................Communication
Will Groschopp...............................................................................................Still Deciding - Business
Mylo Gumbs................................................................................................Screenwriting/Playwriting
Fell Gutierrez........................................................................................First Year Exploratory Studies
Alex Hartley................................................................................................................Film & Television
Sophia Hannah......................................................................................................................Marketing
John Hazlett..................................................................................................................Fashion Design
Hannah Herman.......................................................................................................Entrepreneurship
Cole Herrmann......................................................................................Entertainment & Arts Mgmt
Amelia Hooker...............................................................................................................Fashion Design
Abigail Insana..........................................................................................................Biological Sciences
Tessa Jones.....................................................................................................................Fashion Design
Declan Joyce...............................................................................................................Film & Television
Harang Kang..........................................................................................Animation and Visual Effects
Frankie Labelle.......................................................................................Entertainment & Arts Mgmt
Will Lazar.......................................................................................................................Music Industry
Milo Linares....................................................................................................Mechanical Engineering
Kasey Lim.......................................................................................................................Music Industry
Audrey Ling.........................................................................................................................Architecture
Sofya Lobzova....................................................................................................International Business
Sam Macris................................................................................................................Computer Science
DREXEL THEATRE COMPANY MEMBERS
Rachel McLaughlin......................................................................................................Fashion Design
Anthony Finn McNamara.........................................................................................................English
Bella Meltzer.................................................................................................................Fashion Design
Esme Mohatt..........................................................................................Entertainment & Arts Mgmt
Layan Mouhamed.....................................................................................................................Finance
Symone Patterson.........................................................................................................Music Industry
Serena Pearl.................................................................................................................Political Science
Macie Perry...........................................................................................................................Psychology
Dianna Peters.................................................................................................Biomedical Engineering
Leyna Phung.....................................................................................................................Neuroscience
Emmett Portnoy...................................................................................................................Animation
Evan Redl..............................................................................................................................Marketing
Goose Rhoads...................................................................................................................Mathamatics
Ben Robare....................................................................................................Mechanical Engineering
Natalie Russo.................................................................................................Mechanical Engineering
Sophie Rutan.................................................................................................Mechanical Engineering
Molly Sample.........................................................................................Entertainment & Arts Mgmt
Rafi Sanchez..................................................................................................................Music Industry
Piper Santos..........................................................................................................................Economics
Irina Scaduto-Mendola...............................................................................................Product Design
Scarlett Scanlon....................................................................................Animation and Visual Effects
Maya Seipel...............................................................................................Design and Merchandising
Patrick Shelffo....................................................................................................Sociology/Economics
Avery Shope...................................................................................Electrical/Computer Engineering
Jake Simmons...............................................................................................Mechanical Engineering
Dallas Smith.....................................................................................................................................Law
Abby Swaney........................................................................................................................Psychology
Krzysztof Swieton..........................................................................................Biomedical Engineering
Jamie Te.......................................................................................................................Political Science
Kiara Thompson.....................................................................................Environmental Engineering
Dahlia Ufberg........................................................................................................................Marketing
Dylan Ugel.....................................................................................................................Music Industry
Mary Elizabeth Ulses ..............................................................................................Film & Television
Anastasiya Vasilenko...........................................................................................................Psychology
Grace Weachter.........................................................................................Screenwriting/Playwriting
Jia Weingard........................................................................................................................Psychology
Justin Williams.............................................................................................................Music Industry
Sabrina Winford..............................................................................Criminology and Justice Studies
Katie Yarrish..........................................................................................Entertainment & Arts Mgmt
Andrey Yip..............................................................................................Entertainment & Arts Mgmt
Nikola Zvonik...................................................................................................UGLaw/Business Law
