A little work, a lot of laughter, and one very New York day with the ETA team.
Every summer and winter, the ETA team comes together from across the U.S., France, and the Netherlands for a few days of business, connection, and making some memories of our own.
We know saying “we’re like family” can feel a little cringey these days. But at ETA, there’s some real truth behind the cliché. We genuinely love what we do, and we genuinely like each other. Like, your-face-hurts-from-laughing-all-day like each other.
This year’s “Summer Thing,” as we affectionately refer to it, took place in New Jersey, at our office, and in good old NYC. Since I’m guessing most of you aren’t interested in the charts and graphs we discussed at the office, I’ll skip to the good part: Day 2.
It was basically the perfect NYC day.
At 9 a.m., we boarded the bus, first stop? Boulevard Carroll for From the Band Room to Broadway, performed by the legitimately, intimidatingly talented Keve Wilson.
I did not know that I loved the oboe.
And Paul Staroba, a Broadway conductor with some serious credits of his own, perfectly complements Keve’s journey to Broadway. His playing is effortless and a joy to watch.
The storytelling through music in this show is both captivating and immersive. You’re not watching a show so much as listening to a REALLY interesting new best friend.
After the show, we got a mini musical theatre workshop with Paul. He somehow managed to make our team sound half-decent, which is saying something considering the group includes actual performers and people who are, let’s just say, not performers.. That is a challenging composition of voices.
After the music? A mini stage combat workshop, taught by a pro in the field, Eric William Morris. Never thought I’d have such a good time being led around a room by my hair by a strange (but lovely and considerate) man, but here we are. Everyone had a SAFE and very good time.
This action-packed morning is a sampling of what ETA’s student performing arts groups can experience while on tour.
Hungry by then, we headed to a NY bagel-making class. It was warm, it was steamy, there was dough, there was science… and then we ate our work for lunch. Highly recommend.
After a walk through Times Square (and, of course, a group photo), we strolled over to the Museum of Broadway, where I proceeded to nerd out as each room highlighted another Broadway smash and featured artifacts and historical context from the productions. The COSTUMES!!!!
We wrapped things up with dinner, toasts, and camaraderie overlooking the New York skyline. Needless to say, I fell asleep on the bus ride home.
I can’t wait for the ETA Holiday Get Together in December.
Want Your Own Perfect NYC Day?
The best part? You don’t have to work at ETA to have a day like this.
Our New York City itineraries are completely customizable, which means your group can build in the experiences that make the city feel like your New York. Spend the day immersed in Broadway, learn from working theatre professionals, make (and eat) your own bagels, explore the history of the stage, or mix it all together with the classic NYC must-sees.
Start planning with ETA’s New York City Educational Tours, then take a look at a few of the experiences we got to enjoy ourselves:
- The Broadway Project for performance-based workshops and Broadway experiences
- The Museum of Broadway for theatre history, costumes, artifacts, and plenty of opportunities to nerd out
Basically, if your idea of the perfect NYC trip includes a little culture, a little chaos, a lot of learning, and something delicious along the way, we can work with that.
Ready to build your group’s perfect NYC experience? Request a quote and let’s start planning.
Written by Jenn Korolenko, Marketing & Creative, ETA
