Drama, Performing Arts & Theatre School Trip to New York

With a WST school trip to New York, GCSE and A level students can enjoy exceptional English, Drama and Performing Arts itineraries and enjoy experiences of a lifetime! In New York, not only do school groups have the chance of a lifetime to see a show on Broadway, with WST your students can really develop and improve key skills in many areas needed for a life working in the Performing Arts. From backstage tours to theatre workshops, a New York Performing Arts School Trip can really aid a student's learning by taking them out of the classroom. Take a look at a WST New York School Trip itinerary below.

Itinerary

Tour Day 1

Morning
Flight and transfer to your accommodation.
Evening
Beat the jet lag with a visit up the Empire State Building

Tour Day 2

Morning
Midtown Manhattan walking tour to see the main sites of New York including Broadway, Times Square and Central Park
Afternoon
Theatre workshop
Evening
Broadway Show

Tour Day 3

Morning
Circle Line Cruise to take you past Liberty and Ellis Island
Afternoon
Visit the 9/11 Ground Zero Memorial and Museum followed by free time in Downtown Manhattan
Evening
Broadway Show

Tour Day 4

Morning
Free time for shopping on Fifth Avenue
Afternoon
Depart New York for overnight flight

Tour Day 5

Morning
Arrive in the UK

Accommodation

Comfort Inn

We work with a range of Comfort Inn’s all located in Midtown Manhattan. Comfort Inn is a well known hotel chain with modern furnishings and a good standard of accommodation.  

The Row

Just a few minutes from Times Square and oldest hotel in New York City – the hotel has recently undergone extensive refurbishment and modernisation. 

Quality Inn Midtown West

This is a great 2* hotel just 10 minutes walk from Times Square and the Broadway theatre district. A small hotel with modern furnishings and comfortable rooms.   

Holiday Inn Express Midtown West

This popular hotel is located in Hell’s Kitchen, just a 15 minute walk from Times Square and Broadway. The furnishings are modern and all to a high standard. This is one of our most popular hotels in New York. 

Freehand New York

Located in the Gramercy district, this modern hotel accommodates students in bunk beds in 4 bedded rooms. All rooms are en suite and a ‘grab and go’ continental breakfast can be arranged.

The Edison

This 3 star traditional style hotel is ideally located in the heart of Times Square.

Study Visits

Broadway Theatre Productions

Give your drama, performing arts and theatre students an experience to remember by arranging a trip to a Broadway show. They’ll really go home with the ‘WOW’ factor. Here is a range of the most popular shows currently available on Broadway. 

  • The Lion King
  • Chicago
  • Harry Potter & The Cursed Child
  • Mrs Doubtfire 
  • Dear Evan Hansen 
  • Waitress
  • Hamilton
  • Come From Away
  • Phantom of the Opera
  • Wicked
  • Aladdin

Aladdin Backstage Tour

The New Amsterdam Theatre is offering a backstage tour which focuses on the costumes of the show Aladdin. This is a rare opportunity to go behind the scenes on Broadway and times are limited. Contact us for more details.  

Theatre Workshops

Your students can enjoy a tailored workshop with industry professionals. These workshops specialise in a variety of techniques to improve areas of study such as:

  • Acting methods
  • Character development
  • Dance
  • Song Writing
  • Vocal Techniques
  • Audition Coaching
  • Choreography
  • Improvisation
  • Thematic Content

Popular workshops with students are:

Meet the Artist: Meet some of Broadway’s most gifted artists in an intimate setting, where you’ll hear the experiences of a professional actor, director, choreographer, casting director or agent. The artists will discuss the challenges of the business, backstage anecdotes and career choices.

Theatre Games: In a playful and fun environment, participants are encouraged to explore spontaneity, impulse, freedom, imagination and creativity with acting exercises and theatre games often used in professional rehearsals. 

Enter Acting: This workshop is building trust in one’s talent, finding the truth of the moment and develops a whole actor by using the imagination. 

Quick Wits: This introduction to the art of improvisation uses topical issues to build tolls in flexibility, concentration and spontaneity, while strengthening confidence and encouraging fun and humour.

Wanted: Experienced Actor: A casting director discusses being seen, how to market the working actor and what it takes to get the job. 

Let’s Get Technical: A Broadway stage manager or set designer discusses the technical execution of a director’s vision and the collaborative process of lighting and designing a set for a production.

Stage Combat: A thrilling workshop. Designed to give you tools on collaboration and safety. You will be guided by a highly experienced professional on the skills of choreographing a fight.

Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation Classes and Tours

This visit is not to be missed for Dance groups in New York particularly as some students will be studying 'Alvin Ailey' as part of their A levels. The Ailey Studios is the largest facility dedicated to dance in New York offering a wide range of group options.

Private Group Classes can accommodate up to 50 participants. You can choose the technique you like and select either a 60 minute  or 90 minute private classes. 'Horton'  is by far the most popular technique chosen by student groups, as it is a signature technique of the Ailey organisation and each class features live percussion. Hip-Hop and West African are also very popular techniques for groups as well

All techniques offered: Ballet, Horton, Graham-based Modern, Dunham, Jazz (Classical & Theatre), Hip-Hop, Contemporary, Salsa, West African*, Afro/Caribbean*, Samba/Afro Brazilian*, Capoeira. 

Private Building Tours are approximately 45 -60 minutes long, and showcase the  studio and administrative spaces, as well as Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation’s archived artwork and photographs. Groups get an in depth look at the legacy of Alvin Ailey and the history of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. The Ailey Studios at the Joan Weil Center for Dance is one of the largest facilities dedicated to dance in the US. 

Class Observations allow groups to watch the last 30 minutes of Professional Division Classes. Groups over 10 students will be split among classes during the same time frame.

Metropolitan Opera

‘The Met’ opera company is located at the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts and is the largest classical music organisation in North America. The season runs from September to May and the schedule of performances offers some student rates on key performances throughout this time. 

NBC Studio Tour

Go behind the scenes of some of the most well-known TV shows. You will visit the NBC Sharp Globe Theatre, Broadcast Operations, the Make Up room, and even produce your very own news and weather programme.

Radio City Stage Door Tour

Explore the theatre, lounges and corridors of the most iconic theatre in New York. You can explore the art deco interiors, learn the secrets of the Great Stage one of the largest indoor performance stages in the world, view the celebrity signed guest book and meet a world famous Radio City Rockette.

TV & Movie Set Tours

Choose from a range of coach or walking tours around the city, taking in locations of well-known shows and movies, venues where the stars hang out and even see where your favourite celebrities live. Shows and movies include Friends, Seinfeld, Glee, The Devil Wears Prada, Spiderman, Elf, Hitch and many more. Themed tours include Sex and the City hotspots, Central Park Movie Sites, Gossip Girl Sites and Sopranos Sites.

On Location Tours is receiving very positive feedback from happy students - See for yourself what it’s all about…

 


Museum Of Moving Image

This is the only museum in the US dedicated to the art, history and technology of the moving image in all its forms. The permanent exhibition here will immerse you in the creative and technical process of producing and presenting films, TV shows and digital entertainment as well as the history of the moving image. 

New York Film Academy

An opportunity to visit the world famous acting and film school. Your students can take a tour of the facilities of the Academy followed by a talk about careers in film.

Paley Center For Media

The Paley Center is a cultural institution dedicated to the discussion of the cultural, creative and social significance of television, radio and emerging platforms for the professional community and media-interested public. Instead of collecting artefacts and memorabilia, the Center comprises of screening rooms where you can view over 120,000 commercials, radio shows and TV shows from their library. Visitors can take a tour around the Center, arrange a group screening based on a key topic, or choose an educational session. 

New York Public Library - Schwarzman Building 

The Stephen A. Schwarzman Building of the New York Public Library, is the flagship building in the New York Public Library system and a prominent historic landmark in Midtown Manhattan. A must when you visit is the famous Rose Main Reading Room which room is lined with thousands of reference works on open shelves along the floor level and along the balcony, lit by massive windows and grand chandeliers, and furnished with sturdy wood tables, comfortable chairs, and brass lamps. The library also hosts a range of literary exhibitions throughout the year. It’s also possible to arrange a guided tour of the building.

Cultural Visits

Guided Walking Tours

As always the best way to get around and see a city is on foot, especially when looking at it from a historical perspective. We offer a wide choice of walking tours that can be tailored to study needs and interests. The most popular walking tours are:

  • Midtown Manhattan Walking Tour – including Fifth Avenue, 42nd street, Central Park, Times Square, Empire State Building
  • Downtown Manhattan Walking Tour – Wall Street, New York Stock Exchange, Battery Park, Little Italy, Soho

Empire State Building

No visit to New York is complete without a visit to the top of New York’s most iconic skyscraper. 

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum 

Located on the World Trade Center site this memorial is a tribute of remembrance and honour to the people killed in the terrorist attacks of 11th September 2001. The main feature of the memorial is the twin reflecting pools which sit within the footprints of where the twin towers once were. The names of every person who died are inscribed into bronze panels edging the pools. The 9/11 Memorial Museum includes an exhibition on the events of 9/11 and the aftermath. 

Madison Square Garden All Access Tour

An insider’s look at this state of the art arena. You will explore the Knicks and Rangers locker rooms and relive historic moments with the new Garden 366 experience and Defining Moments exhibit.

Harbour Cruises

Get a close up view of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island you can choose from two options:

  • Liberty Cruise - A 1 hour cruise of the harbour.
  • Island Cruise - You can disembark at both Liberty Island and Ellis Island on this hop on hop off cruise. 

Hershey's Chocolate World  

The Hershey’s Chocolate World Sweet Educational Tour is ready to show you a world you've never known. Set as A walking tour of the iconic Times Square location, this learning experience is about more than milk, sugar and cocoa. You'll learn more about Hershey’s iconic brands, why we decided to come to the crossroads of the World, Times Square, and of course taste several different Hershey’s products. Milton Hershey loved nothing more than to enrich the lives of others, and this tour plans to do just that!

Sporting Events

Subject to availability your group can attend a sporting event in and around the city. If you ask us early enough we can look at what is available with all the different New York teams for something to suit your budget. 

Top Of The Rock

The observation desk at the top of the Rockefeller Center provides a unique 360 degree view of New York, including the Empire State Building. 

One World Observatory 

The tallest observatory in the western hemisphere, located at the 9/11 memorial site, offering spectacular panoramic views of New York. The visit also includes numerous videos and multimedia experiences. There are 5 lifts including a sky pod elevator that ascends to the 102nd floor in under 60 seconds. You can choose from various cafés and restaurants. Visit lasts approx. 45 to 60 minutes.  

Spyscape

The world’s preeminent spy museum and experience. You can explore the fascinating world of hacking and espionage, and discover your inner spy. Real spy challenges include lie-detection in interrogation booths, observation in surveillance missions, and agility in special ops laser tunnels. Their profiling system (developed with a former Head of Training at British Intelligence) will tell you what kind of spy you’d be. SPYSCAPE brings amazing spy artefacts and stories to life in a uniquely entertaining experience.

NFL Experience

Located in Times Square, this live attraction combines interactive games and a state of the art 4D theatre, bringing fans closer than ever to NFL Football (American Football).

Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum is an American military and maritime history museum with a collection of museum ships in New York City. It is located at Pier 86 at 46th Street in the Hell's Kitchen neighbourhood on the West Side of Manhattan. The museum showcases the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid, the submarine USS Growler, a Concorde SST, a Lockheed A-12 supersonic reconnaissance place and the Space Shuttle Enterprise.

New York’s Art Galleries:

The Metropolitan Museum - One of the largest art galleries in the world, located on Fifth Avenue next to Central Park.

Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) - Often seen as one the most influential museums of modern art, the MoMA offers a collection of both modern and contemporary art.  

The Guggenheim - The Guggenheim is visited not just for its exhibitions of impressionist, post-impressionist, early modern and contemporary art, but also its iconic building which is known as one the 20th Century’s important architectural landmarks.

Friends of the Highline

This unique visit allows the public to explore what was once a major train line known as New York Central Railroad. The train line, which was very popular in the 1930’s became less successful in the 1980’s, forcing it to close. In 1999, Friends of the Highline decided there was still life in the old railroad yet and embarked upon a journey of re-development. The train line is now a beautiful public park and architectural masterpiece. School groups can opt for a structured visit or they can simply guide themselves around. There are also free educational materials to support your visit available on their website.

Shopping

A trip to New York is not complete without a trip to world famous shops and department stores. Shops are open 7 days a week in New York, usually from 10.00 until 7.00pm on Monday to Saturday and 11 until 6.00 pm on Sunday. Department stores tend to stay open a little later.

Fifth Avenue

Some of New York’s best known shops can be found here including FAO Schwarz, Apple Store, Abercrombie & Fitch and Saks

Bloomingdales

Located close to Fifth Avenue, a little brown bag from Bloomingdales is an iconic souvenir from a trip to New York

Macy’s

The largest department store in New York

Century 21

A bargain hunters paradise, located close to Ground Zero 

South Street Seaport

Lower Manhattan’s eastside shopping destination that offers a distinct mix of shops, restaurants and cafés.  

Restaurants

We can arrange evening meals in restaurants in the city with options to suit all tastes. Our most popular choices are: 

  • Planet Hollywood
  • Hard Rock Café
  • Bubba Gump Shrimp
  • Buca Di Bepo
  • Dave & Busters
  • Bowlmor – bowling and dining
  • Italian Restaurants
  • Chinese Restaurants 

Carole Burrows is the most helpful person I have ever dealt with! Nothing was too much trouble for her and worked with me every step of the way to ensure an extremely successful trip! She is absolutely phenomenal and I will look forward to working with her again this year.
Bridgewater High School, New York


Nici's Expert Tip

The 'Welcome to Broadway' workshop is a great introduction for overview to the theatre. A professional actor talks to your group describing life on Broadway and behind the scenes information.

Top tip from Nici, our Specialist Sales Consultant