Planning for the theatrical trip of a lifetime is underway as 26 Dunstan High School (DHS) drama pupils are heading to the United States in July 2027.

DHS head of drama Nick Meissel said it was going to be an exciting adventure, "immersion in all things theatrical from musical theatre workshops, to Broadway shows to learning how to act on the silver screen”, there would be varied experiences to soak up. 

“Some may ask, why America, when it seems like everything over there is crazy at the moment? Well, America's unique entertainment industry offers us an experience unlike anything else in the world.

“Yes, the media projects a crazy picture, especially politically, but first hand accounts suggest that life for the average American goes on pretty much the same as it has before.

“If, for some reason, the travel became untenable we would likely look at a European destination as an equally exciting alternative,” Nick said. 

The pupils who are currently in year nine, ten and eleven are looking for fundraising opportunities. 

“The kids come from a wide range of different backgrounds, but are all keen drama enthusiasts with a desire to learn more on a global scale, and perhaps even do a little bit of shopping.

“[It’s] an ambitious project and one we hope our community will get behind, helping us to fundraise some of the costs to make this a reality for all of our students.

“We have two years of fundraising ahead of us and the students involved are terrific kids, not afraid of a bit of hard work.”

The pupils will be DHS seniors by the time the trip rolls around.

Nick said things had started well with the recent Central Otago winterfeed event raising money and a sponsorship agreement from online ticketing agency ReelCommerce.

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