Student Perspective on APAP

When I first found out that I would be going to the APAP Conference, I knew it was going to be a great experience, but once I got there, it far exceeded my expectations. I didn’t realize how huge this was going to be. I thought that there would be a few showcases to see every day and a few hundred people, but I was excited to find that there was so much more than that. There were tons of showcases to see and so many more people. The overall atmosphere was wonderful and full of incredibly nice and helpful people, which was great since the process was a little overwhelming for someone who had never been before. I’m so glad I got to go with the school because I can’t imagine trying to navigate that by myself! 

The best part of the trip by far was seeing all of the different showcases. There were so many to choose from that it was impossible to see everything! Since I tend to focus theatre, most of the showcases I saw were theatre related. The first ones I saw were two children’s theatre productions. One was about Ellis Island and one was a clown show. They were adorable and the kids in the audience loved them! I also saw a show called Mad Libs live which was like something I’d never seen before. The audience got to participate by writing down parts of speech

Broadway's Next H!T Musical

and the actors used them onstage. This isn’t something I would be able to see every day in New Hampshire, so getting to opportunity to see such innovative acts in NYC. It was awesome to see something so unique and it was really entertaining! The last theatrical showcase I got the opportunity to see was Broadway’s Next H!T Musical. It was a hilarious improv musical with only six performers. They would take ideas about songs to make up from the audience and improvised all of the lyrics on the spot. Not only was this super funny, but it was extremely impressive! It never got boring and they came up with the funniest things to say.

The next morning, I saw a few jazz music performances. My two favorites were singers: Caesar and Alexis Cole. Alexis Cole was the first act that I saw and she sang her own version of Disney love songs in a jazz style. I could have listened to her voice all day. Caesar sang a few songs as well and he had a very warm, velvety voice. The music acts were relaxing to listen to for a while before we went and did some more business-type things.

Getting to go to the meeting where everyone said who they wanted to bring to their theatre and who they wanted to team up with was very interesting to me. I have always been on the performance side of the arts, so seeing this

APAP Expo Hall

was a new experience for me. I think it is important to be well-rounded in the arts and knowing a bit of the business side of things was helpful for me. Overall, the experience was incredible and I am so thankful for being able to attend this conference. Being able to see lots of performances, but also get a taste of the business side of performing arts was a great opportunity that I probably would not have gotten as a high school student otherwise. It is also a great feeling to know that attending this conference was to help better Pinkerton’s Stockbridge Theatre, which is a place I have grown in as a performer and have come to love. This conference was so beneficial for not only me, but for the Stockbridge, and I couldn’t have been happier to be a part of it.

Brittany Cardoza, Class of 2017