FHU Students Visit The Big Apple

In January Freed-Hardeman University students returned to New York City for the annual theatre trip, which in 2021 was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

While in New York students' itineraries include visits to multiple Broadway shows and independent sightseeing. As a January short course, students have the opportunity to receive college credit for the trip.

FHU Theatre Professor Dr. Cliff Thompson has been taking students to New York since the late 1990s. "I think the first trip was in 1998 and we've gone every year, sometimes twice a year, since then. It's really refreshing to see the city through the eyes of students who've never been before," he said. "Spending nearly a week in NYC teaches students a lot about themselves. They learn self-reliance as they navigate the subway system. Budgeting and planning as they decide how to spend their precious days in New York."

Thompson said the trip helps theatre majors see more career possibilities. "Some years I invite a working theatre professional to have lunch with my majors. That really opens their eyes and 'demystifies' the industry a bit," he said.