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LIVING B�Wednesday, June 13, 2012The Oakdale Leader
By TERESA [email protected]
As many con-templated Me-morial Day plans and
graduation parties dur-ing the last week of May, one select group of Oak-
dale High students and a handful of adults had ‘Big City’ plans.
On Sunday, May 27, a group of 39 students and 10 adults (including OHS Drama and Choir Instruc-tor Bryan Mills) loaded a school bus (courtesy of
the OHS Music Boosters) with luggage in tow and headed for San Francisco International Airport. Fi-nal destination would be JFK Airport, New York, New York.
The group of nearly 50 travelers were partici-pants in the 2012 OHS Drama/Broadway Tour. The five day/four night tour was jam packed with Broadway shows, tour attractions and drama workshops.
This trip marked the eighth of its kind for Mills, but the third in his teach-ing career at OHS.
“This is the first time we’ve gone after school’s let out,” the instructor stated. “I chose to change it this time because of the weather. We usually go at Spring Break and then we have to worry about snow and cold. This time of the year brought less worry about the weather. It’s re-ally a weather thing.”
Regardless of the sea-son, the itinerary stays the same for the trip tak-en every other year by the
drama group.“It’s mostly drama kids,”
Mills explained. “Usually kids from my class. I feel it’s important to know the kids before I go.”
The instructor went on to share that the trip is geared around acting and exposing the students to workshops, training and Broadway shows.
“I think the three work-shops are the most ben-eficial. They get the train-ing from Broadway actors and seeing the Broadway shows. That’s inspiration-al,” said Mills.
During their five days in the Big Apple, the 39 students did a number of things including: Lib-erty Island, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Top of the Rock, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Central Park, Grand Central Sta-tion, Ground Zero and a number of other New York City attractions most via subway transportation.
They were also treated to three Broadway shows and workshops covering topics of acting, musi-cal theatre and making a scene.
This year the students were presented with
the choice of one of two shows per night over the course of the three nights. Production choices in-cluded: Wicked, Mary Poppins, Lion King, Peter and the Star Catcher, War Horse and Godspell.
“Personally, if it were just me I would go to all musicals, but they need to see a balance. Not all stu-dents are musical actors, this gives them a good balance,” Mills stated.
OHS Drama Students Enjoy Slice Of New York CityManhattan
Mustangs Take
Representing Oakdale in their finest, a group of 39 students and �0
chaperones gather for a picture in Times Square on their final night in
New York City.Photo Courtesy of Mindy
Johnson
A group of street musicians entertain a crowd at the Metropolitan Museum of Art by performing ‘50s Doo Wop tunes and selling their CD’s as souvenirs.
Photo Courtesy of MiChelle Kendig
Oakdale High student Bianca Anderson (who starred as Alice in the school production of Alice in Wonderland),
poses atop a bronze statue of Alice located on the East side of Central Park near 74th Street. The sculpture is noted as
one of the most popular attractions in the park.Photo Courtesy of Bryan Mills
Oakdale High School students and chaperones gathered on the stairs of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City to take in the music of street musicians and have a little
lunch during their recent Drama/Broadway Tour.Photo Courtesy of MiChelle Kendig
Oakdale teen Emily Johnson strike up a conversation with Godspell star, Corbin Bleu, following her backstage tour of the Broadway show. The 20�2 OHS graduate noted this as
one of the most memorable moments of her 20�2 NYC trip.Photo Courtesy of Mindy Johnson
NYC TRip, page B3
