Artistic Immersion: DC on Broadway

-Phillip Balla

(Defiance, OH) There is arguably no higher peak of musical theater experience than Broadway in New York City. The magnificent theater, the multi-million dollar sets, and the brilliant world class performers all contribute towards a special experience that is able to transcend the mere sum of the play’s parts. On the latest New York trip Defiance College students had the extraordinary opportunity to go to Broadway. No, they didn’t merely get the opportunity to walk on the street and gawk at the magnificent marquees (although that certainly would have been worth it by itself), the students had the opportunity to actually attend the musical Les Miserables.

Imagine that! Students not merely dreaming about what Broadway must be like or treating it like a detached highlight of a totally inaccessible reality, but students leaving the theater with a concrete experience to draw upon for the rest of their lives. Experiences like this empower through exposure and tend to have totally unpredictable effects on each person in attendance. Some may be drawn to seek more shows and other cultural experiences, others may rekindle a passion for music or art, while still others may simply be wowed at the incredible diversity of talent that they saw.

For example, when I first stepped into a Broadway theater to see Wicked several years ago in high school I thought I disliked theater, in fact, I requested permission to not watch the show. I quickly realized that the only reason I thought I disliked theater was because I had never truly experienced it! After being stunned by the quality of the show I quickly developed an interest and talent for theater that I never knew I had before. It is amazing what can happen when you expose students to greatness.

In my opinion, the role of Defiance College is not merely to reinforce and accommodate the interests of its students by providing normal and likable experiences for all. Instead, when Defiance College has the opportunity it should push the boundaries of students and expose them to incredible places with incredible experiences to match.

Defiance College should be applauded for this incredible trip to New York City and those faculty and staff who made it possible should know that it is through their efforts that the Yellow Jacket education carries with it the sharp edge of concrete real-world experience. They should also know that it is not generally in one grand moment that lives are changed, but instead they are changed in a small series of accumulating moments that have the power to form and shape hearts and minds.

Years from now Defiance College students will still be talking about their trip to New York City and rightfully so, because it was truly an incredible experience.