PHILADELPHIA & GLASSBORO, N.J.: Pig Iron Theatre Company will live to train another day. After losing its longtime institutional partner, University of the Arts in Philadelphia, when that organization unexpectedly shut down in June, which led the Pig Iron School to pause its degree program for fall 2024, the troupe is back with a new partner, Rowan University’s College of the Performing Arts, in Glassboro, N.J.—which, though across state lines, is only a half-hour drive from Philadelphia.
Beginning in early 2025, Pig Iron and Rowan will partner to establish an MFA and graduate certificate in Devised Performance, continuing the Pig Iron School’s mission to train the next generation of daring, innovative theatre artists. The accredited master’s program will focus on movement, improvisation, and ensemble creation. Under the direction of Pig Iron co-founder Quinn Bauriedel, students in the program will train with esteemed and established faculty while working toward a Rowan University MFA.
“Rowan University is the ideal partner for Pig Iron,” said Bauriedel in a statement. “Rowan’s deans, provost, and faculty have been extraordinarily thoughtful during this difficult summer, which left our program, our faculty, and our students adrift.”
In the weeks that followed the sudden closure of University of the Arts, Pig Iron prioritized the search for a new partner, eager to minimize the interruption for the 35 students already enrolled in the program (21 current students, and 14 who had deposited for the fall semester before the UArts closure). Now, in tandem with Rowan, Pig Iron can welcome those students back to pick up where they left off and continue their training, without increasing their tuition costs. Rowan will also work with students to support them through the onboarding process. New and prospective students will submit an application to Rowan University and complete a workshop-style audition format, designed so faculty can observe applicants in the process of theatremaking.
“We are excited to be able to jump in to serve the faculty and students in this unique and exemplary program,” said Rick Dammers, dean of Rowan College of Performing Arts, in a statement, who added that expanding Rowan’s curricular offering in this way aligns seamlessly with the artistic vision of its undergraduate theatre program, making Pig Iron the perfect extension. Rowan’s College of Performing Arts’ uniquely designed BA in theatre is rooted in experimentation and collaboration, where devising is central to the curriculum. The program recruits and trains students from across the country through artistic innovation and cross-disciplinary training where each class becomes an ensemble of collaborators.
“This program’s exchange of ideas and creative process supports our mission to transform society and our world through the arts,” said Paule Turner, chair of the department of theatre & dance, in a statement. “Our partnership embodies the integration of theatre and dance we have long been working toward.”
Launched in 2011 as a certificate program before expanding into an MFA with UArts in 2015, Pig Iron’s graduate program is designed to expand the boundaries of artistic ownership and transform the traditional norms and power structures central to the current regional theatre environment. The Pig Iron School has graduated more than 140 students, with many going on to win Pew Fellowships, Independence Foundation Fellowships, Barrymore Awards, and Obie Awards, as well as becoming distinguished faculty at Georgetown University, Carnegie Mellon University, and University of Iowa, among others.
“Our students are trailblazers and innovators, disrupting the status quo and playfully finding ways to expand access to a kind of theatre that is physically sharp, intellectually layered and capable of reflecting all of society’s blemishes, wonders, and deep-rooted questions,” said Bauriedel in a statement.
Classes will resume for the Spring 2025 semester, following the final certification from New Jersey and Pennsylvania’s Boards of Education and accrediting bodies. Prospective students wanting to learn more about the program can register for upcoming information sessions, auditions, and new Pig Iron workshops at various cities across the country. For more information on Pig Iron and Rowan University’s MFA program, visit go.rowan.edu/PigIronMFA.
