Student Blog: Finding Your Creative Place: The Drama Book Shop

Moving to New York City, I was worried I would lack alone time. Obviously, I would have my dorm room, but being surrounded by roommates and friends all the time, I feared I wouldn’t find time and a space to focus and study. But now, to say I found a place to study and focus would be quite the understatement.

Finding the legendary Drama Book Shop on 39th St and 8th Ave has completely changed my NYC experience. From its homey environment, to its convenient location, to its friendly and helpful employees, I am here studying for my coursework at Marymount Manhattan College, and reading plays for my own enjoyment at least twice a week. 

I love this hidden gem for many reasons, first being the people. The group of people who frequent The Drama Book Shop are some of the most creative and smart people I talk to in the city. You never know if you’re talking to the person writing the next big Broadway play, or if current owner Lin-Manuel Miranda is going to pop in. I always find myself in the most interesting conversations with creatives of all kinds: from professors, to students, to playwrights, to Broadway performers. They ask questions about the plays I’m reading that week, we talk about my theatre school coursework, and I ask about the plays they are writing or the experiences they’ve had in the city.

Growing up as a theatre kid and before coming to New York, I had been used to only seeing big, flashy Broadway musicals. Not that the musicals I’m used to can’t be deep and change me as an artist, but because of this place, new works of art have given me a whole new love for storytelling. I can now walk to an environment where I am exposed to new favorite plays by Kimberly Belflower, Bess Wohl, Paula Vogel, and Jen Silverman, and I feel like a whole new artist.  I now feel comfortable and find so much joy in sitting and reading plays for hours, while getting recommendations from employees and other readers.

There is truly nowhere like this place. It is a legendary Broadway site in the center of it all, etc. There are plays and librettos of every genre: from classics, to new works, to Shakespeare, to acting technique books. It almost shut down in 2018, but was luckily bought by Lin-Manuel Miranda in early 2019, and brought back to life. And thank god for that, because my roommate and I go here for hours to obviously read plays, but also it is the best place to do homework. The creative environment is perfect for getting work done - especially my engaging theatre coursework. I’ll grab a Carolee Carmelo latte and a monkey bread and get my work done until Michael (my favorite knowledgeable and cheery employee at The Drama Book Shop) tells me that they're closing soon and teases me about how much time I spend there.

Every student should have a place to study that lets their creative juices flow. I am so happy that I’ve found my place. I can’t wait to read more plays, meet more artistic individuals, and drink more lattes here during my time in New York City