Centre College: Spring break on Broadway

They say the neon lights are bright—on Broadway. They say there's always magic in the air.

DANVILLE, KY—While their classmates headed south for spring break, eight theatrically minded Centre College students headed in the opposite direction—for New York City and the bright lights of the Great White Way.

The three-day trip, arranged by Matthew Hallock, assistant professor of dramatic arts, blended mandatory and optional elements. All of the students had to attend three plays—The Pillowman, starring Jeff Goldblum and Billy Crudup, Shockheaded Peter, and Avenue Q. Students could then select additional shows on their own. Some chose La Cage aux Folles, others The Producers or Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, starring Kathleen Turner. All tried to fit in as much theater as possible into a 72-hour period.

To get the students used to the idea of actually working in the intimidating New York theater world, Hallock arranged several meetings between the students and theater professionals. The students met with:

Alan Fox, a Broadway production stage manager and director, who, says Hallock, "fills you in on all the nuts and bolts, in and outs, unions, contracts—and tells you some great stories along the way ('When Donna Murphy and I went to Stephen Sondheim's birthday party last week...')";

Padraic Lillis, off-Broadway director/playwright, who Hallock praises as someone who "helps you find your way around, what shows to see, where to go for decent cheap food, and generally just hangs around answering every question you could possibly ask."

Sophomore Adam Brown, a double major in dramatic arts and anthropology from Bowling Green, Ky., says that while he had visited NYC before, "it was amazing to experience the city outside of a tour bus.

"What I got out of this trip was that living in New York and doing theater is 100 percent possible. It's just a question of whether you're willing to do the networking."

Lauren Marx, a freshman from Columbus, Ohio, who plans to study government and dramatic arts, says she too had visited New York before, but that this was the first time with the theater focus, as well as the first time where "you have the days to yourself."

Marx says The Pillowman was the best play she saw, although she notes that not everyone in the audience appreciated the intensity or "the many dark twists and turns in the plot."

When not taking in a play, the students had a great deal of free time to wander around Manhattan. Marx enjoyed Central Park, Little Italy and a street fair in Greenwich Village. Brown reports that a highlight of his trip came when he and his girlfriend wandered through landmark Fifth Avenue jewelers Tiffany and Bulgari and "played rich"—asking to try on jewelry more suited for royalty than for budget-conscious students. It was a fun and harmless prank, and who knows? This little exercise in what Brown calls "guerilla theater" might prepare him for a future starring role.

Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/