Producer Dan Baker gives us the low-down on what the first day in New York has entailed for London participants of the TS Eliot US/UK Exchange...

We’ve arrived in New York. That’s WELL exciting.

It’s a funny day to be arriving in the US – I awoke this morning as the news was breaking about Osama Bin Laden, and as the London team for the US/UK Exchange began to arrive at London Heathrow stories began to filter through about the reaction to the news in New York. With a large number of us seriously deprived of sleep, there was something of a surreal feeling to proceedings...

Reassuringly, everyone arrived at the airport and no-one forgot their passport – so we’ve been able to fly out with a full contingent. In the taxi to the airport there was the fear gnawing away that one of my actors may not make it, and it seems to be something the other producers had thought about; the fact it didn’t happen made the journey a lot calmer! As we caught up with James and Rachel from the Old Vic and received our tickets and travel itineraries, there was a definite air of excitement and anticipation within the group – as we chosen few passed through the gate and onto our flight, we readied ourselves for an exciting chapter in our careers.

Having never flown Transatlantic before, the flight was surprisingly nice – despite being eight hours long it didn’t feel like it, and there seemed to be little turbulence along the way. As we arrived over New York, the clouds cleared and the familiar landmarks came into view – the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge; all these things I’ve seen in the movies, and now was seeing with my own eyes. The sprawling expanse of New York is incredible to witness from the air, and made the reality hit home of just how exciting an opportunity it will be to spend a week here.

We disembarked at Newark Liberty International, passing through customs and getting our passports stamped, before meeting the rest of the gang outside the terminal. Finding grey skies awaiting us was something of a disappointment – it’s strange to think that London has been so nice, and we’ve managed to travel somewhere with seemingly worse weather! We boarded a coach and travelled to the Vineyard Theatre, seeing a number of New York landmarks en route; we entered the theatre to meet our buddies – putting faces to the various emails and Skype calls which have taken place between us – and after a brief introduction we headed off to our temporary homes. My buddy Anthony has a pretty sweet pad in Harlem – a district where a number of other Exchangers are staying – and I’m sure I’ll enjoy being a resident here for the next week or so.

Then the real business began. First, we were welcomed to a drinks reception hosted by Time Warner Executives to mark our arrival in New York – giving us a chance to mingle with the New York participants and get to know them – and following that a group of us attended a Curtain Call event hosted by ART/New York, with Lynn Nottage as keynote speaker. The second event in particular gave a real insight into what is happening in the New York theatre community, with ‘Local Hero’ awards being presented to companies who have supported the arts in various ways over the past year – and hearing Lynn Nottage speak passionately about how government should be supporting theatre had parallels with the various speeches by the likes of Sam West regarding British theatre. Alas, it seems both communities are currently engaged in a battle to prove their value.

The evening ended with Londoners and New Yorkers descending on a bar and getting to know each other better over a few drinks – a fine way to end what has been a long day. Now onwards to Day Two, where things really get started...