SU’s Tepper Center hosts cabaret celebration March 5 at NYC’s famed Birdland jazz club

SU’s Tepper Center hosts cabaret celebration March 5 at NYC’s famed Birdland jazz clubFebruary 27, 2007Jaime Winne Alvarezjlwinne@syr.edu

Syracuse University’s New York City-based Tepper Center for Careers in Theatre will host “Live at Birdland: The Tepper Center Cabaret” Monday, March 5, at 7 p.m. at famed jazz club Birdland in the heart of the city’s theater district. The center is part of SU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).

The Tepper Center Cabaret will showcase recent students and the musical theater talent that has been developed through the program since its inception in 2001. SU alumna and Board of Trustees member Arielle Tepper Madover ’94 (above), a Broadway producer since 1998 and the center’s namesake and founder, will be recognized. The evening will celebrate the success of the center and its Tepper Semester program, and give student performers industry exposure.

“This cabaret is a celebration on many levels — it’s a wonderful opportunity to showcase the program’s exceptional musical theater talent, bring more public visibility to the program, and create the opportunity for industry exposure for our students,” says Tepper Center Director Lisa Nicholas. “It’s exciting to have a classic jazz club like Birdland as the venue to showcase our emerging talent.”

Theater director Daisy Prince Chaplin and composer Tom Kitt are collaborating as mentors for the evening’s cabaret program. Prince Chaplin, daughter of legendary Broadway producer-director Hal Prince, and Kitt are mentors and faculty for the Tepper Center and Tepper Semester program and previously served as faculty for VPA’s Tepper Week in New York. Over the years, the pair have guided and helped cull the talent of participating musical theater students.

The Tepper Center for Careers in Theatre, a unique program of VPA’s Department of Drama, has a long history of connecting undergraduate students in advanced levels of acting, musical theater, design and stage management while providing the opportunity to network with industry professionals. Students enrolled in the Tepper Semester immerse themselves in a rigorous artistic training program in the culturally rich setting of New York City. Participants work closely with an accomplished faculty of professional, working artists who nurture creative, intellectual and personal growth, and assist students in gaining an understanding of the business skills essential for a rewarding and successful career in the industry.

Residency in New York for an entire academic semester is an integral part of the Tepper experience. Students live and study in the heart of the theater district, where the city’s cultural and educational resources fuel their artistic training. In addition to being exposed to a broad range of theater, students also experience museums, libraries and other entertainment venues.

Arielle Tepper Madover, whose on- and off-Broadway productions have garnered 42 Tony Award nominations, is currently producing “Monty Python’s Spamalot” and “Frost/Nixon” on Broadway and “Guys and Dolls” and “Monty Python’s Spamalot” in London’s West End. Madover recently formed The Living Room for Artists, a not-for-profit organization, and is founder of the annual Summer Play Festival (SPF) for emerging writers.

For more information, contact Nicholas at (212) 239-1113 or tepper@syr.edu.