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When Musical Theatre students Tenda Kavuma and Claire Smith enrolled at �鶹��ý����, they never dreamed that they’d be performing at Lincoln Center, yet that’s exactly where they found themselves.

The two sophomores appear in “The Elementary Spacetime Show,” a show about a teenager who attempts suicide and ultimately finds herself in a cosmic Vaudevillian game show. The imaginative new musical by César Alvarez, with a book by Alvarez and Emily Orling, features more than two dozen �鶹��ý���� student performers, stage managers and musicians. Performed at �ѴDzԳٳ���������’s Alexander Kasser Theatre, students debuted a special concert presentation at Lincoln Center’s David Rubenstein Atrium on April 26.

Kavuma, who plays a giant mosquito and belts out a showstopping solo, says: “I’m very excited to say I made my Lincoln Center debut at 20 years old.”

For Smith, her role marks her debut production. “It’s an amazing thing. I get to tell people and put on my resume that I performed at Lincoln Center in New York City.”

Ryan Kasprzak, head of Musical Theatre at �鶹��ý����, explained that the creative team behind “The Elementary Spacetime Show” was seeking a company of actors that they felt could sustain the musical in a full production. “We’re grateful that, once they got to work with our students, they felt this is a company of actors who are capable of carrying this piece.”

Despite the show’s heavy subject matter, “there is a surprising amount of levity, which helps the audience access the deeper questions about humanity and what it means to exist,” Kasprzak says.

�鶹��ý���� students, faculty, and staff benefit from exceptional cultural engagement at Lincoln Center, located just across the Hudson River from campus. The iconic venue has showcased: an opera created by Professor Scott Richards of the Cali School of Music. Additionally, �鶹��ý����’s Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Assistant Professor Oscar Perez, performs annually at the renowned Dizzy’s Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Most recently, Music History Assistant Professor Leah Batstone presented a pre-performance talk on Verdi’s La Traviata at the Metropolitan Opera, an event attended by Cali School of Music Director Shea Scruggs, along with various faculty members and students.

About the Collaboration

The production came about because of a professional relationship between Alvarez and Theatre and Dance Professor Kathleen Kelley. Alvarez and Orling have been working on the musical for many years. “It has always been part of the plan to fully realize it with students,” Alvarez says. “‘The Elementary Spacetime Show’ is meant to be a space of transformation for young people, and the brilliant young artists at �鶹��ý���� are the perfect people to bring it to life.”

The production includes students from first-years to seniors. According to Dante Green, a New York-based director who has collaborated with Alvarez and Orling for a decade, the students brought an essential authenticity to the storytelling.

“The students are incredibly talented and very mature and nuanced with their performances,” Green says. “The age of the �鶹��ý���� students aligns perfectly with the characters, making it a very authentic casting and learning experience.”

Green also suggests that if the show continues development, there exists “a strong opportunity to continue collaborating with the students after this production is over.”

Why �ѴDzԳٳ���������’s Musical Theatre Program Stands Out

Only 12 miles from New York, �ѴDzԳٳ���������’s Musical Theatre program offers students the best of both worlds: Access and opportunities to audition for productions while maintaining a mid-size campus life and small class sizes.

“We are uniquely situated geographically, in the sense that students get a four-year career launch,” Kasprzak says. “They’re going to spend time in New York City, they’re going to go to auditions, see a bunch of different shows, build these creative relationships, and that’s a huge advantage.”

That proximity and the valuable industry connections and experiences attracted both Longview, Texas native Kavuna and Jacksonville, Florida native Smith. “It’s very reassuring to know that our professors are actively working. They’re in the industry. Everyday,” Smith says.

�ѴDzԳٳ���������’s Musical Theatre program has seen an 86% increase in auditions for admission over the last two years, Kasprzak says, noting that this year, 1,600 students auditioned for 20 spots.

“It has become extremely competitive to get into the program, so we’re really taking the top 5% of applicants,” Kasprzak says. “So, while the freshmen maybe don’t have any expectations, I know how gifted they are and how talented and how unique.”

Vibrant Theater Scene in the Garden State

�ѴDzԳٳ���������’s program also offers myriad local and regional opportunities, says Head of Theatre Studies Jessica Brater, who directed a student production, a collaboration between �鶹��ý���� and , at the in �鶹��ý����. “The Quilt Keepers,” a play written by �鶹��ý���� alumni, Dania Ramos, BFA Acting ’98, weaves a tale of �鶹��ý����’s 4th ward.

“Although we’re lucky to be so close and connected to the NYC theater community, there is an active and exciting professional theater world right here in New Jersey,” she says. “Many of those theaters have employed our students both before and after graduation because of the relationships we have built with them.”

The Vanguard Theater’s Producing Artistic Director Janeece Freeman Clark is also an adjunct professor at �鶹��ý����. “I know firsthand the caliber of talent, curiosity and heart these students bring. They have been collaborators in every sense, and their various roles of responsibility mirror the reality of professional theater in a way that a classroom alone simply can’t.”

How Theatre Students Engage with the Local Community

Building a show from the ground up, based on an historic neighborhood for a local theater production, helps fulfill the University’s larger role of benefitting local communities, Brater says. “Part of the University’s mission is to bring the resources of the University to benefit communities beyond the campus gates. This works both ways – faculty and students benefit from what we learn from communities, and it helps us in our work as a university to prepare well-rounded citizens,” Brater says.

As a bonus, she adds: “It demonstrates for both students and community members that the arts can be a powerful tool for activism, education and collective memory.”

Advice for Future Theatre Studies Students

�鶹��ý���� students in “The Quilt Keepers,” which was two years in the making from development to production, have valuable advice for prospective theater students.

• Elijah N. Maldonado, a senior Theatre Studies major, values how the major encourages students “as artists and theater makers to branch out and try new things.” He urges others to seek faculty support for guidance.
• Maxwell Hollis, a sophomore who has explored both acting and lighting design, emphasizes that “professors are willing to work with you one-on-one” and advises students to never be afraid to ask for help to get the most out of the program.
• Senior Kaitlyn Valentin, who gained skills in management and design, suggests students “try everything once” and volunteer for student-run shows. She believes that “a theater person can”t get a job if you’re not multifaceted.”

Join the Next Generation of Storytellers

Are you ready to take your craft from the classroom to the local, area or world stage? Explore our BFA in Musical Theatre, BA in Theatre Studies or many other programs in the College of the Arts. Apply today.