During the Easter holidays, 25 Drama students from Years 9 to 12 travelled to Chicago and New York for a two week Drama intensive. Accompanied by Ms Smith, Mr Priester and Mr Scott, the boys participated in a number of workshops, saw a variety of shows ranging from an improv bar in Chicago to an opera at the Lincoln Centre in New York. Below are some thoughts and reflections of their time in the USA from the boys as they recount what they experienced in the two cultural metropolises.

USA Drama Tour Thoughts and Reflections

“The best experience of my life so far.” – Lyndon Carney (11/FL)

“It’s been a life-long dream to be able to act, and to go to Broadway and meet other actors which only inspired and concreted my dream.” – Pat Hudson (12/JN)

“An experience of a life time. Things I will probably never see/do again. From seeing local comedy acts to big budget Broadway shows. Great trip!” – Daniel Trent (12/PR)

“The biggest surprise of the tour was the iO improv. work shop in Chicago. It has been the training ground for SNL  (Saturday Night Live) writers such as Tina Fey and others, a very different look at Improv.”– Alexander Roberts Love (12/MA)

“It’s safe to say that the ‘Thessalonia Worship Center’ church service was a great experience for all the boys. We traveled up to the Bronx and were welcomed into an African American church service. We all enjoyed the gospel choir, their attitude and enthusiasm towards their beliefs.” – James Gatsos (10/ME)

“In honesty I have lost track of time (more than usual)- the experience in Chicago thus far has not only been interesting, but my view of time has been warped into a highly present one- because every face, building, voice, and show is new to every boy to some extent.” – Demos Hammond (11/KL)

“The Blue Man Group had a magnificent performance, an experience not to be missed. Being a musical with no singing made it more interesting and also more entertaining. The group brought comedy into it by getting the audience involved, using them with some of the scenes and also shooting squashed Twinkies at them. A group of school girls in the audience could not keep their mouths closed, but they weren’t able to ruin such a magnificent performance.” – George Liakopoulos (11/LE)

“We went to an excellent Broadway musical called ‘Matilda’. The musical was incredibly well done, and the children playing the school kids and Matilda herself were very good and inspiring. It gave us an insight into what can be accomplished if kids put their mind to something.” – Anthony Saker (11/FL)

“In the workshop we were encouraged to make fun of ourselves, and reveal our inner clown hidden behind the world’s smallest mask: a clown nose.Through movement and observation each of us was able to begin to mold and create a clown personality, through caricatures of our personality traits and physical attributes. After two solid hours, the boys came away with smiles on their faces and a newfound ability to laugh at themselves.” – Brendan Creswick (11/JN)

“To cap the day off, we experienced the opera…a part of the tour I’m sure all the boys were hesitant about. So we dressed up for a night out and walked into the stunning Lincoln Centre to see Rigoletto. All the boys minds were blown away by the sophistication and the awe-inspiring performance.” – Pat Hudson (12/JN)

To read more about what happened when Newington Drama took on the USA, don’t forget to read the blog 

Tamara Smith
Head of Drama