The Triangle

Issue date: 5/9/08 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: Courtesy of Westphal College An epic battle between the "PROM" partiers and chaperones leads to a reflection on the past and the future.

My senior high school "PROM" was such a thrilling event: the fancy dress, uncomfortable shoes, smelly corsage, bumpy limo ride, embarrassing poses, bad food, irritating music and plenty of characters. But aside from all of the annoyances, it was a night that I will never forget.
"PROM," the newest production from New Paradise Laboratories, is not a traditional play-it's an experience, just like my special night from high school. As a part of the Mandell Professionals in Residence Project, "PROM" has been gracing the stage of Drexel's Mandell Theatre since May 1 and will continue through May 11.
As I walked into Mandell, I didn't know what to expect. Ushers clad in dresses and tuxedos tore my ticket stub. Caution tape was fastened to chairs. Looking onto the stage, a green astro-turf football field ran diagonally through the platform. Chairs for audience members were set up on the sidelines of the field. Gigantic balloons hung from the ceiling. A large, steel pyramid graced the center of the stage and underneath drifted some lights. Old "PROM" photographs were projected onto a screen toward the back of the set. I became jittery as I sat down in my seat.
Chaperones, partiers and referees brought me back a few years to grades nine through 12. As the actors, who consisted of students and professional performers, took the stage, witty remarks started to fly. Their energies were projected into the audience. I was able to place faces from high school with character personalities acted before me. As the dances commenced, I recalled the always-awkward first fast song, where everyone stood away from the dance floor until one brave soul was willing to start moving. "PROM" is more than just a performance; it really is an experience.
Aside from involving undergraduates in the actual production, two Drexel students, Jessica Rosenzweig and Bob Wuss, worked as marketing interns for New Paradise Laboratories during the process. In order to bring in a large audience, including people outside of the immediate University community, Wuss said they used different non-traditional marketing strategies.
"We made little magnetic LED light 'throwies.' ... We constructed 1,500 of them and went to Old City and threw the 'throwies' everywhere," Wuss said. "We had a spot in the Inquirer, and people started responding because they mentioned 'PROM'. We had a whole Facebook team and all the cast members would change their profile pictures at certain times. We even developed a person [on Facebook] as 'PROM'.
"PROM" really was like no performance I have ever witnessed before, and I recommend checking it out before it leaves the Mandell Theatre. Four more shows will be taking place before the final performance: May 9 at 8 p.m.; May 10 at 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.; and May 11 at 3 p.m.
Just as the narrator claimed, "At 'PROM', you experience the last party of your childhood." So why not live through it one more time?

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