Even though the weather wasn’t great it was still a lot of fun going on this scavenger hunt. One thing that surprised me doing this assignment was that even though I’ve taken a few classes that have do with theatre, I tend to think of theatre as pretty much only happening in times square proper. At most like up or down a street or two from 42nd Street, but reading the clues and running around (more than just 2 streets up)  to try and find not only theaters but other kinds of places like shops, restaurants and statues really showed me that theatre history is bigger and deeper in New York than I thought before this class or this scavenger hunt.

My favorite find from the scavenger hunt was seeing Sardi’s Restaurant and Grill. Before this class I had never seen it in person even though I live in New York and am in the city often. It was my favorite because it felt really special to be there with all the caricatures  that kind of serve as an unofficial hall of fame. Also you always hear stories about how people catch sightings of celebrities in there just a table over, and even though we didn’t go inside just being outside just held a kind of magic. Plus on a more personal note, it’s mentioned in The Producers which is one of my favorite musicals and how many times will I get to actually go to a place that is referenced in a work that I enjoy. Unlike a statue which is in memory of something, a representation. it was like looking back at little piece of history and tradition. Though I tend to be shy and didn’t want to have to ask strangers for directions and didn’t really know my classmates very well, I liked the whole experience of working with a team to get the right answers quickly and taking pictures with theatre landmarks was fun too, rainy or not, it beat just talking about all these places in the classroom for sure. I did wish we had a little more time to submit just because running down the blocks through tourists and umbrella’s took more time than I thought it would have. I wouldn’t have minded doing more than one scavenger hunt this semester but I’m glad we got to do this one.

This…was quite the mad dash to the finish, now wasn’t it?

Let’s go through these one-by-one. Firstly, theater history in NYC is both eccentric and concentrated. mostly around Downtown and eventually migrating upward like a very hungry, if artistic, beast. Very few cities have reconstructed theater houses turned into cafes, cafes modeled after theaters, and former banks turned into opera houses (there’s one such place in Union Square). It’s such a strange dichotomy, having a Starbucks by a vaudeville house which is now, inexplicably, yet another Starbucks. However, it’s vibrant. It’s an amazing history that allows you to really experience New York’s theater scene, a scene with no curtain call.

Most interesting? Hmmm, definitely the Actor’s Temple is one. This is a currently active synagogue that used to host a lot of the Jewish actors in New York City, including the Three Stooges! First of all, not a literal temple of actors. You can’t walk in and find statuettes of Groucho Marx with a little brazier for offerings. However, the idea of there being a community is fascinating, a tapestry that worked itself into every fabric of life (see what I did there?). Second one, and this annoys me for reasons to be explained, Tin Pan Alley. Tin Pan Alley is famous for music history, forming a great deal of American pop in the 50s and 60s. HOWEVER. When we went to search for it, we messed up. Royally.

Upon completion, I realized two things – one, I was wet like a dog in a lake, and two, it’s ridiculous how in-plain-sight some of the theater history of NYC is.  It’s one of those experiences you look out for afterwards just to see what you can catch. And, if you are completely clueless without coffee like I am, you may just miss it.

What did you learn about theater history in NYC from this assignment? Did you find anything that surprised you?

Doing this scavenger hunt in The city has opened my eyes to how much theater history is in my own city. There was so much information that was brought to my attention that I never realized before I was completely shocked about finding a lot of clues that were found on different blocks, in then some clues where right in my face. Before the hunt started I felt that I would have a hard to finding things in the city but I was so surprised that some of the information was quite easy to find.
What was the most interesting “find” from your scavenger hunt? Why?

The most interesting “find” to me in the scavenger hunt was a person in a costume. I came across the Statue of Liberty. I approached the two people in the costumes and asked them if I can take a picture with them for a scavenger hunt for my school. He seemed extremely happy to take the picture with me, after we took the picture he then told me that he takes pictures for money. Which I had totally forgot because I was so into the scavenger hunt that that’s the whole point of them dressed in the costume. I ended up giving him my last dollar.

What was the experience of completing this assignment like?

I enjoyed my experience with completing this assignment. At first I was overwhelmed with trying to find clues in the rain. I feel like my team and I worked very well with each other. We would split up and look for clues then would meet back up with each-other. It was also something different being that I’ve never done a scavenger hunt like this one. I felt like time was passing by so quickly also. I was extremely happy and shocked once I found out that my team had won I didn’t expect for us to have as many points as we did.