As I sat in class, an email arrived in my inbox. Suddenly, I was terrified. Even though I had tried my best not to think about it, even though I felt good about the previous callback, my heart would not stop beating. A torturous hour passed as I waited for class to end, then, I clicked my inbox. “Congratulations!” The email read. I was selected as one of the 12 members of the 2015 Reality Show cast. The Reality Show: (n.) An annual show that, in a theatrical sense, presents the life of students at New York University. And, in our case, New York University Shanghai. A “gritty, funny musical about the lives of NYU students as they experience an array of confounding, confusing, and exciting issues” as NYU officially describes it. Focusing on freshmen orientation, health and wellness issues and intercultural communication, the Reality Show has become an annual tradition. It is written, performed, and produced by a collaboration of incoming sophomores, and directed by professionals from Tisch School of the Arts. In order to produce a perfect musical, the student cast commits themselves for an entire summer, dedicating themselves to a non-credit, intensive theatre course in New York, New York. Students will design all aspects of the show: writing lyrics and music, inventing choreography, creating set designs, mastering lighting, and all other elements of production. In addition, students will be guided in the art of acting, directing, rehearsals and management. Finally the team will present the musical to the whole of the student body in Shanghai during orientation. NYUSH will cover the overall costs of housing in a NYU residence hall, round-trip flight tickets, as well as a stipend for food. The Reality Show at NYU Shanghai went from a cast-list of fourteen students last year to twelve this year; nonetheless, the cast remains just as diverse, including boys and girls from entirely different cultural backgrounds:

Martin Ma (China) Stephanie Ma (China) Cheryl Li (China) Howard Wang (China) Ben Zhang (China) Oscar Fossum (United States) Lillian Korinek (United States) Quinn McHale (United States) Ricardo Chacon Rodriguez (Costa Rica) Tirza Alberta (Indonesia) Defne Inhan (Turkey) Michelle Huang (New Zealand)

From the East to the West, each of the selected members are incredibly talented with diverse perspectives on college life, a unique awareness about campus issues, and a passion for performing. The selection process consisted of two auditions. The first round, over fifty students prepared a verse of popular song and a piece of original material. In addition, the students also prepared a thirty-second monologue or performance on national or international political issues. On Mar. 13, after a very competitive selection, twenty students were chosen for a callback. This second round was significantly more casual, including basic tests on rhythm, pitch, vocals and theatrical presence-- all of which was conducted in a relaxed, fun manner. In this comprehensive and entertaining process, we had a great time designing skits and singing. The callback turned out to be an opportunity for us to learn from peers and open up with new ideas. A few days have passed since the announcement was released. For the cast, it is not only a great honor to be selected, but a chance to educate and represent our peers. One of the most important aspects of the Reality Show is that it aids both freshmen and sophomores in exploring this diverse community, and completely fall into college life. As the ambassadors and representatives of the Class of 2018, we believe that the passion of the NYUSH spirit will be passed on through generations. And, we are determined to break the barrier between cultures, so that NYU Shanghai can truly become the unique global community it was designed to be. Let’s stay tuned and look forward to this witty, warm and educative musical! This article was written by Ben Weilun Zhang. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Nicole Chan