Every two years, students in Drake University’s theatre arts program travel to New York City for a January term full of workshops, audition preparation and Broadway shows.
“This trip is one of the biggest reasons I chose Drake,” said junior musical theatre major Gabe Borken. “I’ve been looking forward to it for a very long time, and it’s very unique. I don’t really know many other schools that have an opportunity like this.”
This year’s cohort spent 10 full days in the city. Each day, the group attended masterclasses taught by industry professionals focused on singing, dancing or acting.
“Getting audition experience in New York from people you might be auditioning for in a couple years, and then getting their feedback, their honest opinions, is just really, really eye-opening,” Borken said.
The unique opportunity for professional insight and critique expanded Borken’s worldview a lot in those 10 days, he says.
“You couldn’t get that kind of education in a classroom,” Borken said. “You need to be in New York to get it.”
One of the masterclasses was with Kate Baldwin, a Tony-nominated actress who is currently performing on Broadway as Roxie Hart in “Chicago.” Junior Camryn Caruso looked forward to working with Baldwin, as she has played many roles that Caruso hopes to play in the future.
“I stood up first, and I got to workshop with her and hug her, and she helped me a lot with a song,” Caruso said. “That was awesome.”
Performances of five shows were included in the trip, but students had the option to purchase tickets for additional shows. Borken saw 11 shows throughout the trip.
“We all were able to get almost front row seats to every show we saw as a class, and being able to see the actors so close was really special — just getting to see everything that we want to do right in front of us,” Borken said. “It was like watching a masterclass with performers.”
As a part of the J-term, students worked on their websites, put together an audition book of song cuts and prepared reels, or videos that showcase actors’ skills. Students had the opportunity to present and receive feedback on these pieces from professionals.
“We’re in Des Moines, Iowa, which is not the biggest scene for performing in theater,” Caruso said. “Getting to go to that bigger city, like New York, and having these experiences is really integral to our education and careers.”
Caruso said this experience made her a more confident performer and prepared her for future auditions.
“It’s really important that Drake keeps supporting this kind of program and J-term, because I feel like sometimes the arts get overlooked,” Caruso said.
After returning from New York, Caruso traveled to Rochester, Minnesota, with six other students to attend the American College Theater Festival Region 5. In past years, the school has attended the festival as a whole, but Caruso says the trip was not funded this year.
Caruso was nominated for the Irene Ryan Acting Competition for her performance as Vivienne Kensington in Drake’s production of “Legally Blonde: The Musical” in February 2025. All rounds of this award are held at the festival.
“I was very grateful to get that nomination, and I’ve gone to this festival since freshman year,” Caruso said. “I booked jobs through this festival, I’ve made it through intensives as a finalist and I just got nominated for another award. So I decided that I was going to go.”
Caruso made it through all three rounds and was named one of 16 finalists. Caruso also earned an honorable award for the musical theatre intensive singing finals.
“I got a lot of compliments, made a lot of friends through this festival, … I’ve made lifelong friends, so I got to hang out with them this weekend, and I was just very grateful for this experience,” Caruso said.
