Pop the bubble. Love your body. Take pride. Respect my body.

These are a few of the many emotive — and memorable — RealAD songs that left students in both laughter and tears.

The Reality Show originated in the New York campus in 2014, and was then adapted to the Abu Dhabi and Shanghai campuses, each uniquely capturing the university experiences in their contexts.

Performed on Sept. 15 for upperclassmen, and the following night for first-year students, RealAD is an emotional, humorous and realistic depiction of life at NYU Abu Dhabi. The 75-minute musical written and performed each year by NYUAD students, for NYUAD students, helps set expectations for the incoming Class of 2023, and allows upperclassmen to reflect on their own university experience.

Alexis Mountcastle, Class of 2020, has watched three shows and each has left her with more tears than the last. “It’s really easy to think that everyone else’s lives are perfect, but in reality, so many of us are facing the same thing,” the NYUAD senior said. “We are not alone, and RealAD is the biggest reminder of that.”

Preston Martin, Director of the Reality Shows, believes that the strong impact comes from the diverse and talented cast who create the shows’ sketches.

“The diversity is what makes the Reality Show in all three cities such a satisfying experience,” Martin commented. “It is a rare opportunity in this life to have artists from so many different backgrounds with a vast array of talents as well as different levels of training come together with the common goal of becoming more well rounded artists.”

The 12-person cast, chosen out of 50 auditionees, is funded by the Campus Life Initiative and Health Promotion Office to spend two months of summer at NYU Tisch School of the Arts to develop the show. The cast takes part in “share days” where they exchange artistic pieces and ideas, and delve into musical and theatrical frameworks. This process broadens the cast’s creative horizons and has a profound impact on their personal growth.

“RealAD changed me, [because of] my presence in a space where everyone is allowed to be vulnerable. Our first task was to write something that you would want to hear freshman year, so that’s the first spark of vulnerability,” said Suzan Sadek, cast member and Class of 2022.

For Enid Mollel, cast member and Class of 2022, it was living alone in a city like New York for the first time that completely pushed her out of her comfort zone. “RealAD was a period of growth for me. I definitely was not [confident] during freshman year, I was so shy and scared to do things. It was really scary at first because I had never been to America, I didn’t know the people I was working with the way I do now. We became a really supportive group and a family,” she shared.

According to Martin, the cast’s personal connection to the show is reflected in the songs and skits. The performance is catered towards understanding its audience, building a sense of relatability and reiterating self-worth and self-care.

“There was a thorough care given to the material this year in ways that were so moving, and there was a natural inclination from the writer circles to remind the audience of their worth in a way that I had not witnessed before,” Martin stated. “[The cast] holds a real belief in the capacity for the NYUAD community to thrive both individually and as a compassionate collective.”

RealAD is distinctive from other Reality Shows in its understanding of topics that are significant in the context of integrating an American college in the UAE. “Abaya Paradox” is a classic example of this, and was particularly special for Maitha Al Suwaidi, Class of 2021 and cast member in both 2018 and 2019.

“In 2018, the first time I applied for the RealAD show, I presented [Abaya paradox] as a person who feels as if my visible cultural identity overpowers other parts of my identity here at NYUAD,” she shared.

Beyond the theatrics of RealAD lies the significant role of offices on campus. Tina Wadhwa, Associate Director of Health Promotion and Sexual Misconduct Support, meets with the cast over the summer to discuss sensitive topics.

Siya Chandrie, Class of 2021 and part of the 2018 cast, revealed the difficulty in navigating topics like consent and mental health.

“We learned to discuss our opinions and listen to each other’s perspectives with an open mind,” said Chandrie. “This step before the creative process was crucial because we got a diverse range of perspectives from every cast member.”

The topics brought to light in the show are significant for both upperclassmen and first-years. Faculty and staff were also encouraged to join, stressing the show’s importance to the community as a whole.

“The RealAD show sets an important foundation for many of the topics that the Health Promotion Office addresses, highlighting for students how much NYUAD values their health, safety and well-being,” Wadhwa noted. “This springboard allows the HPO and REACH to delve deeper into topics related to mental health, stress, inclusion, self-care, risk reduction, consent and more.”

In a campus that is only growing in size, RealAD continues to find new ways to address relevant topics with the aim of generating a supportive community.

When asked about RealAD’s continuous development and its future, Preston concluded, “The Reality Show as a project is kind of like a pile of candles that drip wax onto a sculpture that keeps building and building on itself.”

RealAD is emblematic of life on Saadiyat, within and beyond the bubble that has become NYUAD’s home.