From Binghamton to Broadway

A group of 23 Binghamton University students kicked off 2019 by spending a week in New York City learning the ins and outs of Broadway. “Winter Theatre Week in NYC” enabled the students to become immersed in the industry and network with award-winning actors, producers and artists.

Each day began at The Broadway League — the national trade association for the New York City-based Broadway theater — where students listened to professionals from different sections of the field discuss acting, directing, producing and everything in between.

“Every morning session inspired the students in various ways,” said Kari Bayait ’08, marketing and promotions manager of the University’s Theatre Department. “After each session I had at least one student come up to me and say ‘I think that’s what I want to do.”’

Winter Theatre Week, made possible by a gift from actress Stephanie Courtney ’92, was organized by longtime University friend Albert Nocciolino, president and CEO of NAC Entertainment; Keith Hurd ’88; and the Theatre Department. The goal was to provide junior and senior theatre majors with exposure to the various opportunities available to them in the industry. Students were invited to make connections with industry professionals to help them find their path after graduation.

Nocciolino made The Broadway League the students’ “home” for the week by bringing in guests, such as producers and general managers from Tony Award-winning shows.

“I wanted to provide students exposure to all of the different opportunities there are in theater separate from on stage and acting,” he said. “Professions like producing, managing and creating — there are so many careers for people who have an affinity for theater that might not land them on stage. We really accomplished what we set out to do.”

Students were also able to connect with alumni, Bayait said.

“Most students naturally look to the city as their next step following graduation,” she said, “So this was an opportunity to make alumni already working there — from recent graduates to grads 30 years out of college — accessible to our students. And because it was over the course of a week, students were able to establish a much deeper connection with our alumni by seeing and meeting with them multiple times throughout the week. Connecting students with alumni was always a top priority in building the schedule for the week.”

More than 30 alumni from various backgrounds and experiences took part. Some were seasoned professionals in the industry, such as Neil Berg ’86, Patrick McGuinness ’85 and Julia Carr ‘85, who networked with students and spoke of their experiences.

Other participants were more recent alumni, such as Alison Chi ’06 and Arshia Panicker ‘13.

“These alumni are still training or going to graduate school,” Bayait said. “They’re showing our students that even after graduation you have to continue to hone your craft, and how to operate on a shoestring budget.”

Hurd and Theatre Department Chair Barbara Wolfe ’82 worked together to connect students with alumni industry professionals such as Aaron Copp ’87, Russ Rosensweig ’80 and Andrew Blais ’90. They provided a backstage tour at the Metropolitan Opera in which students could watch a team tear down the set from rehearsal in the morning and install the set for the upcoming show that night.

“The students were completely shocked but they were very good about snapping out of their amazement to ensure they asked good questions,” Bayait said. “They really maximized the face-to-face time they had with each professional.”

Students praised Winter Theatre Week in NYC.

“This was 100 percent worth the time/money/energy everyone put into it,” senior Gabrielle Button said. “I know that there are many people interested in this for the future, and I strongly believe that students who are upperclassmen would benefit the most from it. I also have had the privilege to experience workshops and talkbacks with industry professionals outside of the University, and I would tell you that this experience was very special for those who have not.”

Senior Margaret Leisenheimer said the visits with various industry professionals made her realize “just how many different facets of theater exist.”

“I especially loved when Orin Wolf, the producer of ‘The Band’s Visit’ on Broadway, came to talk with us about his job as a producer,” she said. “He spoke a lot about how his passion drives what he does. … He is so passionate about his projects that any work he does is done to serve that particular project. … As a producer, your job is not to solely sell tickets and work the business end. It’s being aware of what is going to best serve the project. His words made me consider producing something in the future!”

Nocciolino said he hopes that Winter Theatre Week will be a recurring event.

“I think if the intent is to grow the Theatre Department and make it more unique, and if it helps get more students interested in theater in whatever manner, why not?” he said. “Overall it was a great week. Better than I think anyone expected, including me.”