University Of The Arts Presents POP! THE MUSICAL EXHIBITION 

The University of the Arts will present Pop! The Musical Exhibition, a web-based, interactive multimedia musical experience. This exhibition is based on Pop! The Musical with Book/Lyrics by Maggie Kate-Coleman, music by Anna K. Jacobs, and directed by James Bruenger-Arreguin BFA 20' (Directing, Playwriting + Production.)

This production is a part of the Ira Brind School of Theater Arts, Fall 2020 remote season. The project will be available for viewing at www.popthemusicalexhibition.com on December 11th - 8 p.m. EST, December 12th - 8 p.m. EST, and December 13th, 2 p.m. EST.

Who shot Andy Warhol? The fabulous Warhol Superstar Candy Darling hosts a happening whodunit musical in which the famous-and infamous-denizens of Warhol's legendary Factory all have motives to pull the trigger. But the pop art icon unravels an even bigger mystery as he confronts not only the prime suspects, but also his art and his own greatest creation: himself. POP! received its world premiere production at Yale Repertory Theatre in 2009 and won three 2010 Connecticut Critics Circle Awards for Best Production of a Musical, Outstanding Actor in a Musical, and Outstanding Lighting Design. The 2011 Studio Theatre production also received a 2012 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor. The 2012 Pittsburgh City Theatre production starred Anthony Rapp (RENT) as Andy Warhol and was named one of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review's 'Top Ten of 2012'.

Developed and recorded completely remotely with artists located in the Philadelphia area and beyond, this project is led by UArts student James Bruenger-Arreguin, with music direction by Pax Ressler, dramaturgy by Will Vence, with production design by Noelani Montas, Maura Mclaughlin, Dannielle Shugart, and Sharon Culbreth-Pedulla. Pop! is produced by special arrangement with Maggie-Kate Coleman and Anna K. Jacobs.

The Ira Brind School of Theater Arts at the University of the Arts serves as a vital 21st-century performance incubator-developing both the voices and expressions of young theater artists and the medium itself. We combine the rigor of conservatory with broader commitment to the liberal arts, balancing the focused study of creative forms with the widened perspective of higher education.

Students collaborate with each other and with our exceptional faculty members to create unforgettable experiences for audiences. You'll master techniques and learn a new artistic vocabulary, all in small classes with award-winning working theater professionals. Students perform, design, direct, and craft the scripts that actors and designers bring to life. With several productions each year in the University's many professional venues - ranging from a historic 1,800-seat theater to intimate cabaret spaces - and opportunities to work with the outstanding regional theater companies in Philadelphia's thriving cultural community, Brind School students learn to explore, to innovate, to problem-solve and to push the boundaries of their creative expression.

The Brind School is working with the fall season directors to create dynamic and groundbreaking theater experiences. When considering how to restructure the fall season in response to COVID 19, the creative community asked themselves a series of questions and landed on the following set of goals and guidelines for performers and creative teams.

1. Continue to make vital, dynamic work while keeping all collaborators safe.

2. Find opportunities to maximize student learning, engagement and the development of their artistry, despite limitations.

3. Deconstruct and decolonize the ways in which we produce work-in particular, how current industry standards uphold the white supremacist, capitalist patriarchy. Use this moment to free ourselves from those oppressive standards by reimagining and redefining process, schedule, culture and protocol.

4. Invite new techniques and technologies into our processes to best share the work we do with others in a time of needful distance.

5. Test artistic hypotheses. Conduct research that will benefit us long after the pandemic limits our ability to produce live events.

Visit www.popthemusicalexhibition.com to purchase tickets online. Tickets start at $10.00.

Performances at the Brind School are open to the public and tickets can be purchased online. If you are a prospective or current University of the Arts student, please enter the promo code UASTUDENT to reserve your FREE ticket.

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