Makin' It in New York - 3/6 and 3/7

Wednesday 3/6
Makin' It in New York had a very busy day on Wednesday. We started the day by taking the subway up to Lincoln Center, where we were meeting to take a tour of the whole complex. We started with Avery Fischer (symphony) Hall, where we had the opportunity to sit in on a rehearsal for the New York Philharmonic's Thursday performance. WOW!  Students were surprised at how much they enjoyed the music. It was an unexpected, but very special treat.

We also toured the David H. Hoch theater, home of the New York City Ballet, the Metropolitan Opera House, and Broadway's largest theater that is currently staging a one woman show. We had the opportunity to see actors at rehearsal, dancers warming up, and technicians checking the sound and lights prior to a matinee.

After Lincoln Center we hurried over to Radio City Music Hall to tour the iconic Art Deco landmark. Talk about big!  We learned about the building's history, and we even got to meet a Rockette! Ms. Brown, Mr. Beaulieu, Danny M., and Daniel L. were in awe of the opportunity to go below the stage deck to get a peek at the stage's hydrolic turntable system.

In the evening, we attended a performance of Once - A New Musical.  It was a very different type of show than Newsies.  Students were surprised at how different musicals can be.  Some enjoyed the flashiness of Newsies, while others appreciated the simplicity of the artistic choices made in Once. After the show, we once again met up with Associate Producer, Charlie Stone. He arranged for us to meet the stage managers who gave us a tour of the stage and backstage areas.  We also got the opportunity to meet with some of the actors/actresses.

Thursday 3/7
This morning we had the awesome opportunity to take a Broadway Masterclass with Marissa Perry. Marissa was the lead in Hairspray on Broadway. Marissa taught us 2 different pieces of choreography from Hairspray (original choreography by Jerry Mitchell). It was a challenge, but we all had a blast. Marissa did a talkback with us afterwards and explained her journey to Broadway. 

This evening we are going to see an off - off Broadway play written by Scott Sickles called Lightening from Heaven.