For Immediate Release: October 11, 2006
Media Contact: Katie Kuhl, Vagabond Acting Troupe, 610.286.5567

Imagine seeing the trial of a great king taking place at the feet of the Sphinx, or a fairy tale performed amongst the toadstools of a real fairy garden. This is the world of museum theatre, where every gallery display is not only the inspiration but the location of exciting, live theatrical performances, aimed at creating a bridge for audiences to identify with museum exhibits.

Vagabond Acting Troupe, year 2003 Barrymore Award honoree for New Approaches to Theatre, has been doing museum theatre collaborations for over seven years. As a physically based acting company dedicated to experimental theater and new ways of presenting theatrical arts, Vagabond Acting Troupe performs original pieces every season, both in Philadelphia and on tour. This season, Vagabond will expand upon their normal touring schedule by performing original works at Winterthur Museum, in Winterthur, Delaware, and at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.

According to Elizabeth Nosek, Winterthur Museum's Associate Curator of Education, museum-theater is important because it "provides an avenue of interpretation that can engage the visitor with new ways to communicate the meaning of an exhibit." Nosek, who discovered the Vagabond Acting Troupe in the Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour roster, and then was impressed by the company's extensive experience creating works for museums, decided to bring the troupe in for a full year of works in different museum spaces.

"Our productions for site specific, museum and public events, can really vary," explains Aileen McCulloch, Vagabond's founder, who has been writing and directing museum theatre projects for Vagabond since the company was in residence at the Elmwood Zoo in Norristown seven years ago. "Our goal is to create a bridge between the museum-goer and the exhibits all around them. Whether it's animals in the zoo, paintings on the wall, or artifacts that came out of the ground, our plays are created to challenge the viewer to think about the items in a new way. In addition, we try to create works that will encourage new ways of seeing live theatre, with each original museum piece created in collaboration with museum curators and Vagabond's resident playwrights and core ensemble members."

Earlier this summer, Vagabond performed the first of several projects for a residency with the Winterthur Museum. TALES OF THE FAIRY QUEEN, an interactive children's show featuring fairies in search of a clean place to hold the annual fairy meeting, was perfect for Winterthur's message of environmental awareness, and the garden atmosphere. This October 15, Vagabond actress Claire Golden Drake will provide living history, portraying Jane Austen during the museum's Jane Austen Day. A family day on November 4 will feature appearances by additional writers of the past, including Karen von Blixen, Henry James, William Shakespeare, Agatha Christie and Austen. WRITING THREADS, five monologues based on the works of the authors noted, is presented as part of Winterthur Museum's Fashion and Film Family Day. The walking tour visit to the five authors writing tables situated throughout the costume gallery will be performed multiple times between 10 AM and 3 PM. Finally, next summer, the company creates another world premiere original collaboration, THE FIREFLY KING, which will be presented in the gardens of Winterthur in the summer of 2007.

As the international Egyptian King Tut exhibits visit the Franklin Institute in 2006, Vagabond has teamed up with the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology as part of their Amarna Exhibit - exploring the period in Egyptian history, just prior to Tut's reign, in which Egypt went from being a polytheistic culture to a monotheistic one . These afternoon performances will take place in the Egyptian Galleries on November 18, 19, 25 and 26, as well as December 2 and 3. Several school day performances will also be offered during the week of December 5. Vagabond's UPM collaboration will allow theatre goers to step outside of the confines of a traditional theatre and watch plays performed in front of great works and amongst Egyptian artifacts. In addition, the play will be available for touring to schools in the Spring, based on company member availability.

Along with the museum works, Vagabond will be touring two theatrical works exploring the life and times of William Shakespeare. ON A WOODEN GLOBE, an original work using Shakespeare's words to explore arguments and beliefs of the Elizabethan time in which he wrote, and Shakespeare's tragic love story, ROMEO AND JULIET, will fill the spring touring block for Vagabond.

"Vagabond has explored quite a few Shakespeare plays over the years," says McCulloch, who is already hard at work on the production plans and touring scheduling for the Spring show. "This year we will use eight actors playing multiple roles to present a production of R&J that will seek to create a bridge between the time in which Shakespeare wrote, and the divided and war-torn times in which we now live."

The season of educational outreach and museum residencies will be Vagabond's most extensive since it was founded in 1993 by McCulloch. "We anticipate reaching the largest audience we have ever had this coming season, as we present live theatre in so many diverse settings," says McCulloch, adding, "we still have some touring dates available for our Spring touring works."

Vagabond Acting Troupe is a resident theatre company of the 2nd Stage of the Adrienne Theatre, 2030 Sansom Street. Performing since 1994, and incorporated in 1997, the company is a 501c3 non-profit company, with a mission to explore theatre through a physically engaged style, while educating young artists for a life in the theatre. For more information about the company, visit their website at www.vagabondactingtroupe.org, or for touring information call them at 610-286-5567.

Go to News Releases»