Published on February 19, 2018 by Ashley Smith  
Photo Jan 11

Musical theatre students traveled to New York with faculty member Chelsea Nicholson in early January. The students had two full days of master classes with industry professionals. This ranged from casting director Kate Lumpkin, manager Karen Lampiasi, Broadway performer Ryan Redmond, professional music director Randi Rudolph, and professional choreographer Sean McKnight. The students sang and danced for these professionals and received insightful feedback.

A total of nine students made the trip including seniors and sophomores. According to Nicholson, "What's great for the sophomores is that they can return the next two years and build relationships with the professionals they'll be auditioning for after they graduate should they choose to move to New York City." Additionally, the students had an open schedule outside of the intensive so they were able to soak up shows in the evenings and some of them stayed additional days to get coaching and take dance classes.

As part of their trip, the students met Samford theatre alumni in the area at an informal meet and greet. Nicholson hosted the event and said, "What a fantastic turnout. Our students made great connections." Not only did the gathering benefit the current students but an alumnus offered another alumna a potential theatre job opportunity for this summer as a result of the event. Thank you to these alumni who were able to attend: Carin Lagerberg, Jordan Lingreen, Megan Jackson, Neely Scott, Carrie Morgan, Jocelyn Lonquist, Jordan Bondurant, David Redman Scott, Evan Gunter, Christian Noojin, and Kelsi Adams.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.