Drexel & Swim Pony Take Theater to the Streets with WELCOME TO CAMPUS, 2/19-3/1

Most college tours will show you the dorms, the dining hall, the library - but what if a tour could give you a glimpse of what college is really like? Of the excitement, heartbreak and soul-searching that actually goes on during those life-changing years?

"Welcome to Campus: Not Your Ordinary College Tour," a co-production by Drexel University's Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design and Philadelphia's avant-garde Swim Pony Performing Arts theater company, brings those highs and lows of young adulthood to life through an interactive theatrical tour. With a script based on original stories written entirely by students, the show recreates these real-life experiences that resonate with all of us, from an awkward first date to a fight with a significant other to the moment you realize you're in the wrong major.

This immersive, genre-defying theatrical experience takes place on a walking tour of a portion of Drexel's campus, with most of the action taking place inside campus venues, fusing Drexel landmarks with very personal anecdotes of student life. The all-student cast will serve as tour guides, as well as acting out scenes along the way.

"Although it takes place on Drexel's campus, this show isn't about Drexel - it's about those experiences that are universal in the world of being a college student," said Nick Anselmo, director of Drexel's theater program. "We hope that this fresh approach - bringing theater to people in an unconventional venue - will engage audiences and allow them to identify in a deeper way with the stories of students trying to answer those quintessential questions about who they are, where they're going and whether or not they are where they should be."

The show was shaped by Adrienne Mackey, Swim Pony director and adjunct voice professor, who is committed to the creation of unique live performances that defy tradition.

"Welcome to Campus" will play from Wednesday, Feb. 19 through Saturday, Mar. 1.