Theater is one of the, if not the, biggest industries in New York City. It is a vibrant culture full of brilliant minds and provides great fulfillment for me and many others worldwide. On the flip side, not everyone gets to do theater full-time, especially during college. While I love the art of theater with my entire heart, the business of theater does not always work to build a community for everyone. People seem not to want to talk about it, but casting tables can be the worst perpetuators of bygone ways of thinking. So many talented, passionate individuals are left overlooked because they don’t sound or look like every white-presenting Broadway belter.
That is exactly what student-led creative projects (SLCP) have the power to fight against. Giving students a true chance and the full support to successfully make creative content has the ability to allow for vibrant expression and a hands-on learning environment.
A current SCLP at Pace University is the student theater New Origins Workspace (N.O.W.). Recently, the organization has been working on their spring musical, Alice by Heart. I had the pleasure of working as the show’s choreographer alongside the director Alice Tinari (BFA Directing Class of 2026) and music director Noa Brenner (BFA Musical Theater Class of 2026). This has allowed me to see firsthand what an organization like N.O.W. can do for students.
One thing that drew me into working with N.O.W. was its focus on giving students with non-performing arts majors the chance to perform theater at the school, whereas they otherwise would not usually. As a non-performing arts major with a background in, and deep love for, theater and dance, I truly admired N.O.W.’s mission. I know so many students who are not, or are not yet, performing arts majors, but still love theater. It also gives students in performing arts majors the chance to perform in ways that they would not usually have(?). Dance majors are able to act in plays, acting majors can dance in musicals, and even musical theater majors are getting to do shows and play roles that allow for a type of creative expression they may not have been able to achieve yet.
Don’t just take my word for SCLPs’ importance. Here’s what Alice has to say about it:
“Student- led productions are so important to the community. Learning how to collaborate early in our careers has been a process I have gratefully participated in. This will change the future of directing.”
The process of creating our production of Alice by Heart has been an exciting and truly beneficial learning experience. With Alice as a directing major at Pace, and my background in paid choreography work for a non-profit theater, neither of us were strangers to the work or process that we endured. However, neither of us has truly had an experience like this to have such wildly creative freedom over a show like this. We have the chance to learn alongside our cast members while creating a gorgeous piece that we both are insanely proud of.
I have listened in on some positive affirmations to N.O.W. such as cast members feeling significantly more confident performing in areas that they felt weaker in before coming into the process. The quality of the show can speak for itself, which is excellent might I add, but it is that personal growth that truly attests to the influence of SLCPs on college creative environments. Since students have the ability to do nothing but create, produce and manage art on their own, they are able to grow in ways that might not have been possible due to major restrictions. Organizations like N.O.W. can create a true network between the future artists of the world. Simply because we major in something in college now, does not exactly mean it has to spell out the end of one’s creative journey. Even though you are placed into a performative box does not mean that you don’t have the chance to expand out and around it. The times are always changing, but as of now we are the future. This is how we learn how to be that.
To get involved with other SCLPs like N.O.W., be sure to take a look at SetterSync and get involved with any organizations that pique your interest, no matter creative, academic or social. Also, keep an eye out for flyers posted around campus advertising various SLCPs always looking for participants. Or start your own SCLP. Your major does not always have to define your passions. The opportunity to chase those passions is out there. It’s up to us to make sure the drive never dies.