For those who have visited the wonder-filled city of New York, or those who have ever dreamed of doing so, you can only imagine what it was like to be plucked out of Dallas, Texas and dropped into the heart of The Big Apple. Not only was I big-eyed as I took in everything around me, but even more so as we began out ITO adventures in New York! I was all shook up.
Friday afternoon brought us delight at The American Theatre Wing learning various things about the history of The Wing, and even got to hold a Tony!!! I have to be honest as say although I may be smiling, I was terrified of dropping it. Later that evening, 4 of the 6 ITO went to see Waitress on Broadway! This was my first Broadway show, and all in all, I wasn't disappointed in the least. Waitress had everything you could want in a broadway show, and needless to say, it was delicious! (I love puns!)
Saturday morning we were up quickly to get to work on assigning state conferences and fleshing out workshops! Thanks to Jim Hoare and Theatrical Rights Worldwide (TRW), we had an amazing place to work and had the pleasure of seeing their new facilities! Besides taking a break for a much needed lunch, we worked hard to determine who was going to which conferences, and let me tell you, none of us make easy negotiations when dealing with each other! (I can't wait for the wonderful year ahead of us!) Later that evening, we split in two and some of us went to see The Color Purple, and others to see An American In Paris. All I need to say is that I saw The Color Purple, and it most definitely lived up to the hype. Cynthia Erivo, Heather Headly, and Danielle Brooks, and the rest of the company delivered a phenomenal performance that left me in pieces.
Now onto Sunday morning: EARLY we rose to head off to help with the Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS Flea Market in Schubert Alley. We were SWARMED with theatre lovers: young and old, short and tall, and all of the in-betweens! Over the course of 10 hours, the ITO, NY and NJ STOs raised just under $3,000 that contributed to the whole $782,081 that was raised at various booths selling theatre memorabilia and anything else you could imagine! (Seriously ANYTHING! We sold shoes and a kickball; it was marvelous.) Right before we left, we were surprised with a backstage tour of Matilda The Musical! If you've ever seen what a technical marvel this musical is, you can only imagine MY reaction. For those who haven't, imagine masterfully piecing together a million piece puzzle that also happens to function for various scenes,holds mechanical props, and even has giant swings! (AMAZING!)
And now onto our final day in New York: Monday. We, blessedly, got to sleep in which was rather strange for what would be a normal school day! We ate breakfast per usual and waited for our elegant Chair Grace Alt to return from a college interview (which she also happened to crush). That afternoon we met with Tams-Whitmark, a supporter and sponsor for the ITOs this year. We got to sit down and talk with some of their representatives which was so
refreshing to know there were more people on our side than I'd initially remembered. Later that evening, we attended the Broadway Back-To-School event hosted by Hunter Bell and Susan Blackwell. It was an evening filled with musical theatre selections and mashups, what more could a thespian ask for?
Tuesday morning, we parted ways and said our last goodbyes before we would all be united together once more during our February Cincinnati Trip, but not before a quick scare of forgetting my wallet in the car on the way to the airport. All was fine though, I got it back! Although we part from each other, the festival travel season soon begins, and we couldn't be more excited to meet all you wonderful theatre-lovers out there. If you want to stay connected with all of our photos, videos, and fun stories from our trips, feel free to follow @internationalthespianofficers on Instagram, @ITOOfficial on Snapchat, The International Thespian Officers on Facebook, @ITOAustinN on Twitter, and feel free to contact me at anorsworthy@schooltheatre.org at any time.
New York left me shook up, but I couldn't be more excited for the road ahead of me! Until next time Thespians!