We’re home! Five days, five shows, and four K-State Theatre students seeing New York for the first time.
Cheyenne Niblack, Ven Viloria, Kendall Pullum, and Kaya Hagman brought their curiosity, questions, and a willingness to walk. A lot. We saw theatre across the city, visited MoMA and the Tenement Museum, figured out the subway, and found some good pizza along the way.
One morning found us in the basement of the Drama Book Shop with Thomas Kail, talking about acting, directing, costumes, lighting, and finding your way in theatre. He listened and made room for each student’s questions. And when we arrived, Lin-Manuel Miranda was there to shake our hands before heading out. We were understandably a little blown away.
We finished our last evening with The Heart, a conversation with Q Smith afterward, and cheesecake from Junior’s. A pretty good way to end a theatre trip.
What stayed with me was watching New York become more possible for these students. A place that had felt far away became somewhere they could find their way around. Somewhere they could imagine a future. I also love a good slice of za.
We’re grateful to Thomas Kail for making this trip honoring Nathan Louis Jackson possible. And a big thank you to Heather McCornack for connecting us with Q Smith, who generously spent time with the students after the show.
Cheyenne, Ven, Kendall, and Kaya, thank you for being such good company. I’m looking forward to hearing what stays with you.