Reflecting

My overall immersion experience to New York can be described in one word… actually, it can’t. This kind of opportunity was no doubt one of the best experiences of my life, and using one word to describe this trip would not do it enough justice to how it really was for me. During my one week in New York I learned, made mistakes and grew from them, experienced culture and new things, and got a glimpse into my life as it could be in the near future. I am very thankful for the opportunity to have gone on this with my friends and colleagues.  Going to NYC was exactly what I needed, and I am looking forward to reflecting on my thoughts, goals, and questions that I had answered on this trip.

            On this trip there are things that I thought I did well, as well as things I thought I could have done better. Something I was very proud of myself for doing was becoming more independent. I followed some of the older people around for a little while on the subways and streets, but soon I knew enough about them to go on with one other person or even lead people myself. I was pleased with how well I caught on, considering how confused and a little bit frightened I was when we first arrived. Another thing that I thought went well for me was my ability to truly enjoy every performance. Sometimes, regrettably, I sit through a performance, sort of enjoying it but sort of waiting for it to be over. I can say that while in New York I enjoyed every performance thoroughly.  It could have been the high standards of every show, but whatever it was, I took a lot out of all the performances. One of my favorites would have to be the Paul Taylor dance company show. The second half was my favorite, during the WWI dance. At first, I though it was a happy kind of tone, but later I learned of the true meaning to the dance and it was actually quite chilling. What Paul Taylor did with his choreography was genius. There were also a lot of things that surprised me on this trip. One of those things was how expensive everything really was. I knew that things were more than here in the Midwest, but I never expected how much they really were. That being said, living in a hotel was more expensive because you couldn’t just go to the grocery store and cook from home, which saves a lot more than eating out at a restaurant for every single meal.  Another thing that surprised me was the different way that restaurants are run, and the different kinds of service that you get there. There’s not as much hospitality at the restaurants in Manhattan, and that really took me for a spin at first and made me feel uncomfortable. But then I realized that that is just the culture and the mood of the city, and not everyone is mean, they’re just very straightforward no “bs” type of people. Accepting this allowed me to have a better experience. There are some things that I wish I could have done differently and will do differently for next time. One of those things is plan ahead a bit more. I feel like I started packing a little too late, and I did not bring enough clothes (surprisingly) so that was a bit of a downer, but very minor.  Other than that, I know I still have a lot of learning to do about the city, and when I have another chance to go, I will learn even more!

            There were many new discoveries I made on this trip both culturally, personally, and professionally. I came across so many aspects of culture during my time in NYC. One of them was the food I ate and got to experience. The first day I got there, we went to a Thai place called “Curry in a Hurry,” and I ordered a spicy dish with eggplant in it, which I had never tried. For the most part, I really enjoyed the dish and was glad that I tried it! Another culture aspect was the people. New York attracts so many types of different people because of its many opportunities. Being from the Midwest, we’re not so used to all of this, even coming from Milwaukee. I enjoyed being around lots of different people because it makes for a better and well rounded person who is not afraid of different cultures, and I was really exposed to all of it. One of my discoveries about diversity has been that if you feel uncomfortable with something, that’s ok. The point is to go for something and try it, and not worry about what happens as a result, as long as you learn something from it. One will not like all of the same things as another person; that’s what makes us different. A new discovery I have made personally would have to be my ability to believe that you can make it in the performing world. All you need is a hard work ethic, a positive attitude, and talent. Something important that I learned from this trip was to come into an audition, give it your all, and if you don’t get the job, don’t be upset or mad at yourself. Your only job as someone auditioning is to show up and sing. It is the director’s job to pick who gets the job, and you, nor any of the other auditions have that control. Realizing this gives me peace of mind and allowed me to go through my recent Les Mis auditions and callbacks with an open mind and a kind and non-critiquing mind. Even though I didn’t get the role I hoped for, I still got two callbacks for a lead, and now the directors know my voice and what I can do. It was not all in vain, and it was their job to pick who got the role of Cosette, not mine. A discovery that I have made in the professional area has simply been this: know your type. Type meaning, who you can play in a musical or opera. And the important thing is this: embrace it! I spent a lot of time trying to be a character that although I could be successful at it, it was going against what I felt comfortable with vocally, as well as robbing myself out of something or someone I could be really good at playing. Not to mention, I was really hurting my voice singing the way I was singing. I learned in NYC from multiple people who told me what my “type” was and received lots of direction from them, which was a HUGE breakthrough for me in a professional level, but can also be connected to my personal discoveries because it has directed me in such a good way.

                  My professional goal/question was about being a classical-musical theatre crossover. Is it possible? My question was answered on this trip: yes it is possible! With hard work and knowing exactly what kind of music you want to sing, it is possible. One of the hard things about being a crossover is having people trying to change you. One of the people in New York I talked with explained to me that people will try to have you sing things that you know you cannot sing, and it is important for a young singer to know your voice well enough to politely say "no." So in conclusion, yes it is possible to be a classical crossover, but using your common sense and knowledge of your own voice is crucial. This summer I will find out more about this question through voice lessons and being involved in theatre, so I can have that experience under my belt. Going to NYC made me realize I have so much work to do, and I cannot wait to get started! I'm still so pleased to have had this opportunity. :)

Laura