Life in New York City

Our semester starts with a week-long orientation. The first night we convene for a welcome dinner at a nice restaurant on the Upper East Side and the rest of the week is filled with informative and fun excursions. These vary from year to year and have included trips to Ellis Island and the statue of liberty, the Tenement Museum, the Museum of the City of New York and a cruise around Manhattan. We venture out into the different boroughs and students get an overview of the history and geography of the city. Included in orientation are a tour of the Upper East Side around the student housing and a tour of the East Village, where our studio is located. We visit the public library close to 92Y and students sign up for a library card. Throughout the semester students receive monthly Metrocards. By the time classes begin, students are comfortable riding the subway, know where to do their grocery shopping and are at ease getting around.

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As part of the curriculum we attend around 50 performances in about 35 different venues all across the city. The ticket prices are included in the program fees. By the end of the semester students are familiar with the locations of all the important arts venues and have a clear understanding the types of work presented at the different theaters and spaces. Students get a sense of where they might fit into the fabric of the New York performing arts scene. Dance students take classes in different studios across the city and get to explore where their dance home might be. Throughout the semester we take advantage of special events as they come up. In the past these have included a backstage tour at Hamilton, Tectonic Theater’s Laramie Legacy event, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the death of Matthew Shepard and New York’s famous Halloween Parade. Each year students get to volunteer at the La MaMa Gala, an exciting, star-studded yearly event.

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Through the large number of workshops and guest artist talks as well as the field study placement, students get to meet many working artists and make valuable connections for the future. Alums often visit our studio or join us to see a show. This creates a wonderful opportunity for students to form a network of like-minded artists and mentors.