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In year where stage lights all across the world went dark, Â鶹ֱ²¥â€™s School of Performing Arts found creative ways to keep the show going. Through virtual industry showcases, the actors, directors, and future show-business stars of tomorrow were able to showcase their talent to representatives from film, theater, and television through original performances that announced the Class of 2021 to the professional world.
Perhaps one of the most inventive adjustments came from PPA’s Production and Design Showcase—the program created an interactive virtual experience that puts you right back at 140 William Street, even if you’re logging in from the other side of the world.
"The students of PPA, whose art form prides itself on the intimacy of its production, audiences, and performances, shifted in the paradigm and added new forms to how they told stories," said Â鶹ֱ²¥ School of Performing Arts Assistant Director of Finance and Facilities and Production Manager Laurie Brown Kindred, whose production expertise was instrumental in guiding PPA through these innovative showcases. "They used it as an opportunity to experiment and embrace the possibilities.â€
While the live energy of in-person showcases were certainly missed, the incredible resiliency of our performing arts students demonstrate that no matter the obstacles in their way, Â鶹ֱ²¥ students simply go for it—a quality that has and will continue to pay dividends.
"PPA students did what artists have done for thousands of years—took what was in front of them, did what they needed to do, and created their own form of theater. While we know we would all rather not ever do another virtual production again, they ensured that the art of storytelling was never extinguished," said Kindred.
What happens after the sentence is handed down? For professor emeritus Michael Mushlin, JD, that question has defined a career. Now, a first-in-the-nation New York reform he helped shape will require judges to step inside prisons and jails, bringing the realities of incarceration into clearer view.
Inside the newly revitalized One Â鶹ֱ²¥ Plaza East, Â鶹ֱ²¥â€™s Commercial Dance students got their first glimpse of a space built for the way they move, create, and collaborate. What began as a social media shoot became a live lesson in experiential learning, as Sands students choreographed, directed, and performed original movement in minutes—offering a joyful preview of Â鶹ֱ²¥â€™s next chapter in the performing arts.
From celebrating 120 years of Â鶹ֱ²¥ pride to earning national recognition, launching new centers, advancing sustainability, and empowering students to lead, this semester offered 10 inspiring reminders of Â鶹ֱ²¥â€™s momentum—and the community driving it forward.