12 sophomores took to the stage at East China Normal University on September 11 to perform NYU Shanghai’s 6th annual “Reality Show,” an original musical about life at NYU Shanghai created by the students themselves for the incoming freshman class. First launched by NYU to welcome its freshmen in 2006, and subsequently introduced to NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai, the Reality Show is customized by students from each campus every year to tackle some of the situations new students may encounter -- from academic stress and homesickness to relationship issues and cross-cultural collision. Over the course of the show, cast members repeat the number for a 24-hour hotline, encouraging students to dial for support or counseling. “Go pick up the phone and call 021-2059-9999 anytime!” For the opening of the show, Kai Elwood-Dieu ’22 pretends he is still in rehearsals. Each summer, casts from NYU’s three global campuses convene in New York City to work together to decide on themes for each show. But each cast will adapt those themes to their unique environments so that the shows performed in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai are extremely different. (Pictured: Frank Yinqi Wang ’22, Astrid Matute ’22, and Rodrigo Reyes Gutierrez ’22 illustrate through dance that regardless of your spirituality or religion, you’re welcome in the NYU Shanghai community.) Cast members, who auditioned for roles in the preceding spring, spent two months in New York City during the summer break creating new content and improving their performing skills. Brainstorming ideas, composing melodies, writing scenes and lyrics, choreographing dances -- the process is all about teamwork. “When we went to New York, we genuinely formed friendships that will last a lifetime,” said Sam Ong ’22. “While working on the show, we exposed ourselves to each other and bonded over our creativity and vulnerability. I love the pieces we created because it encapsulated everything we wanted to represent in our freshman year of college and it was really beautiful to see how far we’ve come since our first year of college.” (Pictured: Ryan Hoover ’22 and Samuel Ong ’22 perform “Spiritualisea,” a song about uplifting and respecting one another in NYU Shanghai’s diverse community.) The musical maintained a light and fun tone even as it addressed serious topics such as sexual misconduct, body image, and mental illness. Photo By Nate Luo ’22 One scene depicted the confusion international students faced as first-year students lost in Chinese class. Photo by Nate Luo ’22 As he does every year, NYU President Andrew Hamilton flew in to welcome and watch the show with the Class of 2023. The first-year students loved the show! In addition, upperclassmen also came to show support for their fellow classmates. Bravo! Cast members celebrate a successful show backstage with NYU President Andrew Hamilton and his wife Jenny, Chancellor Yu Lizhong, and Vice Chancellor Jeff Lehman. Share: Facebook Twitter Weibo All Years202420232022202120202019201820172016201520142013 Apply Math Society Lecture Series II with Professor Moshe KimNov 25 2014 Tea W/ords: The NYU Shanghai Literary Reading Series: Mazen Maarouf / Chen Danyan / David PerryNov 23 2014 HackShanghaiNov 17 2014 A Trip to M50Nov 17 2014 International Game DayNov 15 2014 Foundations of Science (FoS) Field Trips to Zhangjiang Hi-Tech ParkNov 15 2014 Deans' Service Scholars Fundraiser - Shanghai Phenomenon!Nov 14 2014 World BazaarNov 14 2014 Youth for Environmental Sustainability ForumNov 10 2014 The Thespians' 24 Hour PlayNov 9 2014 Barcamp @ NYU ShanghaiNov 9 2014 249th Eastern Forum of Science and Technology: "Language and the Function of Prefrontal Cortex"Nov 3 2014 NYU Shanghai vs Yale-NUS Basketball GameNov 3 2014 Carnival of the DeadNov 3 2014 The Official NYU Shanghai Plaque Unveiling CeremonyOct 29 2014 Pagination « First First page ‹ Previous Previous page … 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Next › Next page Last » Last page
