NYU Abu Dhabi Theatre Grad Hits Broadway

Growing up in Utah, Arianna loved theatre from an early age. Still, she knew there were more stories than those on the big stage or in American living rooms. Popular culture was leaving out a large part of the world. So, she sought a college where she could encounter a broader spectrum of humanity.

“I wanted to meet as many kinds of human beings and learn from as many forms of cultures that exist,” says Arianna. This search led her to NYU Abu Dhabi. Arianna was drawn to the school’s global student body and the theatre program’s structure as a collaborative experiment and laboratory. It was precisely what she wanted. And, like many of her classmates, Arianna received a financial aid package that made it possible for her to attend.

“This generosity created the best possible circumstances to pursue opportunities full-fledged without worrying about anything but our education,” says Arianna. “It also gave us the freedom to build a genuine community.”

For NYU Abu Dhabi students, expectations are high and opportunities abundant. As a theatre student, Arianna attended world-class performances on campus. She joined workshops and lectures with renowned artists including Tony Award winners and a National Medal of Arts recipient. She trained with teachers visiting from The Juilliard School, where Arianna went on to study after graduating from NYU Abu Dhabi in 2018.

“There was a celebration of pushing your perceived limits. There was such joy in attempting to reach your full potential,” Arianna recalls. “Can I produce a 24-hour theatre festival, be in the student production, and intern with a professional theatre show on campus? Yes. I can do all of it.”

For her Capstone Project, Arianna wrote and acted in a play inspired by the work of John Fletcher, one of Shakespeare’s contemporaries, whom she had recently studied. The piece incorporated Irish Gaelic from the ninth century, which she learned while spending a semester at Trinity College Dublin. What’s more, art students did calligraphy for the set, and a fellow Theatre major directed and composed music. Ultimately, the result was an impressive collaboration that allowed each student to shine.

“So much time, effort, and resources were put into making my education incredibly unique and full. The school cared about every single individual,” she shares. “The time professors were willing to give, the quality of their teaching, and the level of their expertise were astonishing.”

Today, Arianna is passionate about bringing diverse perspectives to Broadway and beyond. She wants her characters to spark conversation and connection. “The world desperately needs us to talk to one another,” she says. “Everyone is hungry for an opinion other than their own. I think that’s what heals the world: being able to hold difference without fear. It’s fantastic to act in JOB on Broadway, because it wrestles with this human need to connect in such a daring way.”

Thanks to the relationships she built at NYU Abu Dhabi, Arianna is well-positioned for this pursuit. “My closest college friends, the people who knew me when I first got to decide what form my life could take, live all over the planet. It changes how I take in the world,” she says. “It breaks through the notorious echo chambers of our time.”

As an undergraduate, Arianna learned to lean in, be curious, and absorb as much as possible rather than shy away from those with different beliefs or experiences. Undoubtedly, it impacted her work on stage. “As an actor, when I encounter a little piece of a life that isn’t my life but is another human being’s, I’m not afraid of it,” she says. “I have the capacity to view that human experience as relevant to mine. That is a stunning gift from my time at NYU Abu Dhabi.”