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Friday, December 5, 2008
When I entered this class, I was extremely excited because I am a huge musical theatre fan. I have been to lots of Broadway shows, and have grown up near New York City my whole life and visit there extremely frequently. I had a feeling that this was going to be the perfect class for me, and I was right. But in addition to all of the writing techniques I have learned from this class—and I have learned a ton—this class really taught me how to brave the streets of New York as well as the musical theatre world. Even though I have been going to see theatrical productions my whole life, and going into NYC was a regular part of my childhood, I never really knew exactly how to behave or go about doing things around the city. Whenever I had taken a trip in the past, there was always someone else with me to guide me, either a parent or a friend who knew where they were going. However, when I entered this class, it was time for me to survive New York on my own, without a crutch. Yes, we did have our classmates, but I still felt this overwhelming sense of independence every time we would go on a trip for this class. On our very first trip, we had to rely on ourselves and the resources around us to navigate the theatre district of NYC (which was no easy task for me considering I have no sense of direction). Once we arrived at that restaurant for lunch, I think we all felt proud of ourselves for making it through and surviving in the big city. On other trips we took, we had to navigate the subway system, which is not something that I am terribly familiar with. I go to the city frequently, but usually I go by car or bus, and I don’t really use the subway system unless it is necessary. But every time I used the subway for this class I felt a little bit more relaxed, and I think I will be able to use them a lot more in the future since I am beginning to understand how they work. This class, more than any other class I have taken thus far in my life, has given me a feeling of independence that I have never felt before. In addition to the writing aspect of this class, going out into the real world and experiencing theatre and the city has given me skills that I will use for the rest of my life. Another thing I loved about this class was that it allowed me to see theatrical productions that I otherwise would not have seen. Each new piece that we saw gave me new perspective on a different topic, and I really feel like my musical and theatrical taste has expanded from all of the varied things we’ve seen. This class also taught me how to behave in the theatre setting, and help me understand certain aspects of theatre that I had never really even paid attention to before. Being a musician, I feel as though these skills will help me in the future during my own performances as well as performances I will be seeing. I have learned so much this semester, and the memories from this class are ones that I know for a fact will stay with me.
Monday, December 1, 2008
The Broadway performance of Hairspray was the perfect ending to our Broadway and Beyond excursions. The show was simply AMAZING. The choreography just caused you to want to get out of your seat and dance. Hairspray is a musical that many people are familiar with, whether they heard the songs or saw the film starring Zac Effron, Amanda Bynes, and John Travolta. I felt as though after seeing the film I was able to get more into the Broadway performance. The Broadway show is very different then the film and offers "in the moment" acting. I highly recommend the show to anybody who enjoys a musical type of show.
Overall our last trip to the city was fun. I enjoyed having dinner with classmates I made friends with during our semester together, and was very entertained with the Hairspray performance. Hairspray is a very inspirational musical, which encourages integration. Throughout our semester in our writing class we have seen shows dealing with different cultures and customs. Being our last show Hairspray wraps all that we have learned about what Broadway and New York City offers.
Farewell Broadway and Beyond:(
Pros: Seeing Broadway shows, going to NYC almost every other weekend, being independent in the city, meeting some cool people, Dr. Shosh, writing topics aren't that bad
Cons: Long bus rides, crazy crowds in the city
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