The Naples Players Takes Theatre Education to NYC

Twenty high school students from The Naples Players (TNP) Academy of Dramatic Arts, six adult chaperones, and TNP’s production staff spent four days in New York City last week! The students had a whirlwind adventure seeing five Broadway shows, taking a dance class at the famous Broadway Dance Center, touring the NYU Tisch School of the Arts, meeting Broadway actors, and experiencing rare backstage tours.

“The opportunity for our students to have this experience in NYC - where they saw such a great variety of shows, met Broadway stars who also signed their playbills, took dance classes alongside Broadway regulars, and had the chance to reflect on their experience with our production staff is pretty incredible,” says Bryce Alexander, TNP’s CEO & Executive Artistic Director.

“Thanks to the generosity of some of our donors, more than half of the cost of this trip was covered for the students - resulting in an experience that any student could participate in. It's just one more way our organization is providing unparalleled access to the arts,” Alexander finished.

Some of Naples' own Broadway Producers helped make connections for these incredible opportunities; and in some cases, even covered the cost of all 36 tickets to a show. The students were also excited about TNP connections that made the experience even more powerful, including taking a private, personal tour of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with Christian Dinsmore, a graduated TNPA student, a former Education intern, and one of the performers in this summer's production of 42nd Street.

Students and staff were also invited backstage at the Imperial Theater, where Water for Elephants is being performed, and met with the stage manager for the Broadway show & Juliet; while TNP's production staff were able to connect with their friends and colleagues, see new technologies, and even spent a day doing strategic planning. They worked with the students to adopt plans that will empower any member of TNPA to have ownership over the technologies and performances in the new Glass Educational Theater.

“Personally, as a teacher—an educator—one of the most impactful parts of the trip was the dance class at Broadway Dance Center,” said Jen Price, TNP's Director of Youth Education. “I was in awe of our students dancing side by side with Broadway actors. That was an experience they will never forget. They learned the lesson that they have to keep learning at every level of their career —that they are always a work in progress. Even Broadway actors continue taking classes to improve and are always preparing for the next audition. These high school students were able to share with TNP's staff the ways they now understand how important it is to keep taking classes at TNPA. I have no doubt they will be attending classes this fall with a new attitude!”

Registration is now open for all TNP Academy classes for children and teens. Sessions begin September 28. For information or to register, visit www.naplesplayers.org/academy/.