St. Mary's Grammar School, Magherafelt

News

Drama Theatre Trip to New York

NEW YORK 2010

On 1 February 2010, 44 students from St. Mary’s Grammar School, Magherafelt set off on the Drama Department’s eagerly anticipated theatre trip to New York.  Accompanied by Mr Quinn, Mrs O’Brien, Mrs McAuley, Mr Campbell and Mr Tracey, the students had a fast-paced, action-packed week ahead of them.

Upon arrival, students spent time browsing Times Square, an area to which they would return many times during the week, before enjoying dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company.

During their first full day in New York, students visited the NBC Studios where they were given a behind-the-scenes tour of newsrooms and the studios of other NBC television productions such as Dr Oz.  Students had the chance to take part in a mock news broadcast, taking on roles such as newsreader and weather presenter.

Following the NBC Studio tour, students boarded their coach for a guided tour of New York City, stopping off periodically to roam areas such as Chinatown and Strawberry Fields, which contains a memorial to The Beatles member, John Lennon.  The guided tour ended at the Rockefeller Centre where students spent the evening ice-skating before having dinner at the Hard Rock Café. 

On Wednesday 3 February, students made their way to The Actor’s Temple where they participated in a Broadway Theatre Workshop focusing on Musical Theatre Song and Movement.  During this workshop, pupils met performers from musicals Billy Elliot and The Phantom of the Opera and engaged in a question and answer session with these performers about their background, training and careers.  Following questions and answers, pupils explored song and movement in relation to the opening scene of The Phantom of the Opera.  After this active physical and vocal workout, pupils enjoyed a leisurely afternoon viewing New York City from the top of the Empire State Building, before dining out in Planet Hollywood and spending a little more time experiencing the atmosphere of Times Square.

Thursday saw students travel by ferry to Liberty Island where they visited the Statue of Liberty before travelling over to spend time on Ellis Island.  Later in the day, students took time to view Ground Zero and to stroll around Wall Street before making their way to the Imperial Theatre to see Billy Elliot. 

On Friday, the focus of the tour turned to “costume research” as students travelled to Woodbury Commons Outlets to spend the day engaging in some retail activity.  The evening was spent at the Minskoff Theatre where students were in awe as they witnessed the theatrical spectacle that is The Lion King. 

Further “costume research” was on the agenda for Saturday as students spent the morning in Macy’s Department Store.  The afternoon was spent on Fifth Avenue with many students choosing to dine in the famous Trump Tower before browsing in Tiffany’s. 

Alas, all good things come to an end.  Sunday arrived and, in thanksgiving for the smooth and memorable week that had just passed, teachers and students attended morning mass in St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue where students from St. Mary’s were asked to participate in the weekly collection and where everyone managed to catch a glimpse of James Bond star Pierce Brosnan who was also in attendance at morning worship.