For Immediate Release: June 5, 2006
Media Contact: Karen Gross, Arden Theatre Company, 215.922.8900 x49

Arden Theatre Company presents the 2005-2006 Arden Professional Apprentices' spring showcase: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Showcase (a spinoff of the current Arden Theatre Company production A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum). Every season, the Arden hires six aspiring theater leaders to work in every aspect of the company. The end of the season culminates in an event that is produced by and starring the Arden Professional Apprentices (APAs), a challenge to use all their new skills. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Showcase will be performed for two nights only: Sunday, June 18, and Monday, June 19. Both shows are at 8pm on the Arden's Arcadia Stage and are free. The Arden Theatre is located at 40 N. 2nd Street in the heart of Old City, Philadelphia.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Showcase is the final project for this year's APAs, and they look forward to sharing this event with friends, family, and Philadelphians. The APAs will perform five 10-minute plays which were chosen by the Arden's Associate Artistic Director Amy Dugas Brown: Hurry! by Bridget Carpenter; Swan Lake Calhoun by Yehuda Hyman; The Battle of Bull Run Always Makes Me Cry by Carole Real; Bake Off by Sheri Wilner; and Many Happy Returns by Willie Reale. In between plays, they will reflect on their year at Arden Theatre Company by performing parodies of the different Arden productions and simply talking about the life of an APA this season. Each scene will be quite different, but the overall theme of the event is the coming together of people from all different walks of life and the unique relationships they form. Please join the Arden Professional Apprentices as they say goodbye to the Arden, reflect on the year gone by, and anticipate the years to come.

The Arden Professional Apprentice (APA) program is now in its 13th season and was originally created by Managing Director Amy L. Murphy, who refers to the program as "theater boot camp." The 2005-2006 APAs, chosen from a pool of nearly 200 applicants, are: Andrew Vaught (Covington, LA); Anneliese Van Arsdale (Bloomington, IN); Barnabas Crosby (Cleveland, OH), Daniel Rodriguez (New York, NY); Mathilda McCommon (Louisville, KY); and Meghan Walsh (Bear, DE). This season's class is the first to include no Philadelphia natives. Now, as the season draws to a close, five of the six apprentices plan to stay in Philadelphia to continue their careers in this vibrant theater community.

Apprentices work 8-10 hours a day and rotate between departments throughout the course of the day. For example, on a typical day an apprentice may spend 2-3 hours in the box office, 2 hours in auditions, 2 hours in production or development. Meghan Walsh, a current apprentice, says "My favorite days are when I spend the morning at an elementary school assisting acting classes for kids, then return to help build the set for the upcoming show, then retreat to the office to continue working on a grant. It's a perfect example of all that goes into running a theater company." This is what makes the APA program unique and has given the Arden national recognition as a premier theater training facility.

To reserve your seat, please call the Showcase Reservation Hotline at (215) 922-8900 ext. 58 and leave a message stating your name, the number of seats you'd like to reserve, and any special seating needs. More information can also be found on the Arden Theatre Company website: www.ardentheatre.org. The Arden is accessible to people with disabilities, providing wheelchair accessibility and assisted listening devices.

WHERE:
Arden Theatre Company
40 N. 2nd Street, Philadelphia

WHEN:
June 18-19, 2006 at 8pm

COST:
Free

CAST:
Andrew Vaught, Anneliese Van Arsdale, Barnabas Crosby, Daniel Rodriguez, Mathilda McCommon, Meghan Walsh

Go to News Releases»