Study Abroad / Study Away with Theatre & Dance

Study Away in New York City

We headed back to the Big Apple, baby!

The WKU Department of Theatre & Dance, led by faculty members Dr. Julie Lyn Barber and Dr. Michelle Dvoskin, took students to New York, January 2 - 12, 2023. On this trip, students were able to complete one of two Colonnade courses, THEA 151: Theatre Appreciation, or THEA 341: Culture and Performance.

This trip was a wonderful opportunity for our students to immerse themselves in the theatre scene of America's cultural capital, New York City. As part of the program, they had the opportunity to see 9 Broadway shows as a group, along with the option to see more shows on their own. Many students took advantage of this option and also saw shows like Moulin Rouge, Topdog/Underdog, The Play That Goes Wrong, and many more. Other course activities included a tour of the Drama Bookshop, visits to museums like the Museum of the Moving Image, the Museum of Broadway, and the Tenement Museum, a visit to the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, a master class with New York City casting agent Michael Cassara, and opportunities to meet WKU alumni working in New York as actors, stage managers, and technicians. Our students saw a wide variety of shows together, from hit musicals like SIX and Hadestown to Drunk Shakespeare to new and challenging plays like Ohio State Murders and Death of a Salesman. They took a deep dive into theatre, learning about the history and process of theatre production, while exploring how theatre shapes, and is shaped by, our current cultural concerns.

Many students also took the time to take in New York tourist sites, do a little shopping, and of course eat a slice of that famous NYC pizza. As America's cultural capital, students were able to experience other cultures from around the world like they never had before. With tourist sites like Chinatown and Little Italy just a short subway ride away, students had the chance to try many different authentic cuisines and meet interesting people from abroad. Additionally, our students had a blast exploring the multitude of shops just a short walk away from the theatre district like the Hershey store, the M&M store, and the Nintendo store. Many historically and culturally important sites like the 9/11 memorial, the Stonewall Inn, and Central Park are also just a short distance away and were popular spots for the students to visit during their downtime.

Study Abroad / Study Away

In the WKU Department of Theatre & Dance we encourage all of our students to venture out into the world and learn more about arts and culture worldwide. Our faculty have led past trips to New York to study dance and New York and London to study theatre. Our majors have used the opportunities provided through WKU Global Learning to travel and study in places like Israel, Ghana, Belgium, China, New Zealand, Spain, Italy, Guatemala, India, and more. There's also the Semester at Harlaxton program and the Semester at Sea program. Check out all of the trips currently available and watch this space for future travels.