outside with well-known celebrities in attendance! I have never heard an ovation like the ovation we got after the opening number of Ragtime—waves of cheers and applause from theatre fans who knew how special this performance was! The ovations continued all night—especially for Lea Salonga’s “Back to Before” and Norm Lewis’ “Make Them Hear You.” We finished it off with an amazing cast party at the world famous Sardi’s. The entire cast, along with the show’s composers, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, were there. We were able to talk to and get our posters signed by all of the wonderful artists. We couldn’t let that be the last concert we did. After working hard to prove that we had the student dedication and interest and parental support, we went to New York again in 2015 with a group of 19—this time to do Jason Robert Brown’s Parade. Since the students in 2013 made such a great impression on the MCP staff with their professionalism, they did not require an audition. Julie Flinchum Bradley, Parade’s musical director from the North Carolina’s Theatre helped teach us the Parade score. The concert’s conductor was Jason Robert Brown, the original creator of Parade! The opportunity to work directly with the creator of a show was unreal. He knew every note and nuance. In Parade, which is about the injustice of a Jewish merchant who is accused of rape and murder in turn of the century Atlanta and the wife who works to exonerate him, the “mob” is actually a character, so the students in the chorus felt intimately connected with the experience! The show’s stars, Jeremy Jordan (star of Newsies, TV’s Smash and the movie version of The Last Five Years) and Laura Benanti (TV’s The Sound of Music, star of She Loves Me), barely used their music. Other performers included Ramin Karimloo (Jean Valjean in the Les Miz revival,) Joshua Henry—who brought the house down on “Let the Rain Fall” (he is currently Aaron Burr in Chicago’s Hamilton,) and Allie Trimm, who originated the role of Patrice in 13. Jason Robert Brown reported that the Lincoln Center concert was one of the highlights of his life—the show once again was sold out, and the addition of the chorus truly brought the score to life. The show is usually performed with a cast of around 20, and by adding the 30 piece orchestra and the 250-member chorus, it truly illuminated the show in a way it hadn’t before. When we go to New York, we spend a lot of time in rehearsal, but also attend Broadway shows and sightsee. Over the years, we have seen Newsies, On the Town, and Dear Evan Hansen. We’ve also added on shows such as Blue Man Group and School of Rock. We visited Top of the Rock, the Freedom Tower, the 9/11 Museum, Museum of the Moving Image, and the Museum of Modern Art. GDS alumnus Kara Medoff Barnett ’96 made it possible for us to tour Lincoln Center (during Fashion Week!) and the American Ballet Theatre studios, where we sat in on a ballet rehearsal. MCP also included some great workshops on our first trip, and talkback sessions with the casts on the last two. New York is such a great city to be immersed in the Broadway scene! The most recent concert in February 2017 was the most exciting yet. Denise Johnson and I took a group of 20 (along with chaperone Tammy Alt) to participate in a 25th Anniversary restaging of Crazy for You. This time, we were able to prepare during Winter Term with the help of Jonathan Emmons. The New York cast was recreating the entire staging—including the original choreography by legendary Tony- winning director and choreographer Susan Stroman. She attended each and every New York rehearsal with the entire chorus. For the first time, there were some TV and movie stars along with Broadway stars in the cast, which featured Tony Yazbeck (Al in A Chorus Line, On the Town) as Bobby, Laura Osnes (Bonnie in Bonnie and Clyde, Cinderella in Cinderella and currently starring in Bandstand) as Polly, Jerry O’Connell (Stand By Me, Jerry Maguire, TV’s Scream Queens) as Lank, Jack McBrayer (TV’s 30 Rock) as Eugene Fodor, Rachel Dratch (regular on Saturday Night Live) as Patricia Fodor, along with a full cast of cowboys and dancers. It was also glorious to have the amazing Gershwin score played by the full orchestra under the musical direction of one of Broadway’s best musical directors, Kevin Stites. The audience was peppered with original cast members and fans of Crazy for You, who truly LOVED every moment of the magical performance. Those ovations were amazing—we got a standing O from the full house after Act One! (And Act Two!) In fact, there are rumors of bringing this exact cast back to Broadway for a revival of Crazy for You! I am grateful to Greensboro Day School for supporting these trips. These experiences go far beyond a typical student trip—we truly perform on Broadway for one magical night every other February. We hope to continue this tradition in odd-numbered years. Students can graduate from GDS with a bona-fide Broadway New York credit on their resume! They see the dedication and process of creating a Broadway show, and understand the amount of work and attention to detail required to perform at this level. It is an invaluable experience and one not found at many schools. t Caroline Moore ’17, Penny Hazlett ’18, and Meg Bennett ’19 in Times Square Cast party at Sardis GDS Magazine | 31