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UArts/Pig Iron Theatre students take Amtrak across the country in search of material for theater

Students from the University of the Arts/Pig Iron Devised Performance Program are taking a cross-country journey, from Philadelphia to San Francisco on Amtrak. It's a way for the class of 2019 to work up more theater, interviewing passengers, watching for little stories, noting the terrain, the train itself - and stopping for real theater work.

Uarts/Pig Iron School students attend a workshop with members of the Unspeakable Theater of Chicago. The students are taking a train ride across the country to discover material for devised theater pieces.
Uarts/Pig Iron School students attend a workshop with members of the Unspeakable Theater of Chicago. The students are taking a train ride across the country to discover material for devised theater pieces.Read moreCourtesy of UArts/Pig Iron School

Now that’s training.

Students from the University of the Arts/Pig Iron Devised Performance Program are taking a cross-country journey, from Philadelphia to San Francisco on Amtrak. It's a way for the class of 2019 to work up more theater, interviewing passengers, watching for little stories, noting the terrain, the train itself – and stopping for real theater work, including a workshop with Theater Unspeakable in Chicago. Student Jacqueline Libby reported on Sunday that after the workshop, they had "a walking tour of some cool architecture (saw the bean duh), and finally got to move our bodies in the studio again which was super nice. Last night we saw The Neofuturists' play "A Story Told in 7 Fights" which was overwhelming, moving, exciting, and thought-provoking."The trip, called Pig Iron Off the Rails, is a truly Pig Iron thing to do. They are masters of "devised theater," in which a group of actors collaborate to create a theater piece from words and movement. Check out the videos and photos on the Pig Iron School Facebook page, and also check out the Twitter feed on #pigironofftherails. The whole land is their workshop!