SPC Brings Broadway Shows to Students
Students excited for "Wicked". Source: Anna Kallajan '23
With the planning and hard work of the Student Programming Council (SPC), Marist College students can experience a variety of New York City’s live Broadway theatre at an affordable price. For $25, in the form of Marist Money, cash or check, a Red Fox can experience a wonderful NYC adventure with roundtrip transportation to and from the Marist Campus Center, a coveted Broadway ticket and a few hours of free time to explore the city.
Since the start of the semester, students have experienced the highly regarded performances of “Moulin Rouge”, “Wicked” and most recently “Diana”.
According to the President of SPC Alex Cloclin ‘23, many of the ticket sales go to first-time Broadway visitors. Being a theater buff is not a requirement to enjoy a trip to the city. To reach a broad group of students, SPC encourages attendance to general membership meetings where students can give feedback on what plays they would prefer to see, allowing for a real cross-section of theatre being made available.
The voting takes place every month in preparation for the play lineup for the next semester. The student feedback is largely responsible for SPC’s continued success, with most performances selling out. “We expected the shows to be popular since freshman and upperclassmen have missed out on nearly two years of Broadway due to the pandemic,” Cloclin said.
The success of these Broadway events at Marist proves that these tickets are a hot commodity for our students. It’s an exciting time to be a student at Marist and the opportunity to explore the city and all it has to offer is a wonderful additive to the shared student experience. In addition to Broadway theater, SPC has added professional sporting events to its student offerings.
SPC’s Board Members Laura O'Sullivan ‘22, Alex Coclin ‘23, Anna Kallajian ‘23, Jillian Collura ‘25 and Heidi Saleh ‘24, said ticket sales have expanded to events like Rangers games, which is another great way to expose students to new cultural experiences, offering a platform to share these moments with the Marist community.
Finding fun activities to do over the weekend on a college student’s budget can oftentimes be a challenge. But, the opportunity to see a Broadway play or sporting event at a fraction of the ticket price, is definitely something worth trying.