TDP Students Travel to New York City for GEL Trip During Spring Break

Fourteen students representing scenic design, costume design, sound design & reinforcement and stage management traveled to New York City for a Global Experiential Learning (GEL) trip with Theatre Design & Production Program Coordinator, Costume Designer and Associate Professor of Costume Design Jennifer Flitton Adams, M.F.A., and Theatre Fellow – Costume Design Chloe Moore earlier this month during spring break.

The group saw three Broadway shows: “Hadestown,” “The Lion King” and “Moulin Rouge.” Students also had the opportunity to see a fourth show during the last night of the trip on their own if they chose. Some of the shows they experienced were “Hamilton,” “The Play That Goes Wrong,” “The Music Man” and “Six.”

Stage management students finally met professional stage manager and former Shenandoah Conservatory adjunct faculty member Beverly Jenkins, B.F.A., in person. She is the production stage manager for “Hadestown” and taught at Shenandoah virtually during the Fall 2020 seester. Jenkins also joined the group for dinner after the show.

Sound reinforcement students enjoyed breakfast with Broadway sound designer Nevin Steinberg after they experienced his work in “Hadestown.”

The group visited two professional costume shops (including the shop that builds costumes for “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), a professional scenic shop, the prop shop at Juilliard and prop warehouse Eclectic/Encore Props.

Thanks to a connection Maya Bhatnagar ’22 (B.F.A. in Theatre Design & Production – Stage Management, B.A. in Spanish) made at the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) conference, the group got a surprise backstage tour of Radio City Music Hall. This was the venue’s first tour since the pandemic.

Costume students visited several fabric and trim shops in the Garment District.

The group also spent much of one day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

“It was a wonderful trip and we hope to repeat it in 2023,” said Adams.