Musical Theater (PAMT)

The course will introduce students to the fundamental skills and theories of acting with an emphasis on the system developed by the Russian born actor/director Stanislavski. The introduction to the art of acting will keep the focus on work on the self based on exploratory exercises. Developing and cultivating the emotional life of actors in order to create a character that is truthful is the goal of acting I. The course will consist of exercises designed to relax and ready actors, enabling them to explore the full range of their emotions. Exercises will be designed to engage students in concepts as they relate to the text with the major emphasis on actor development and growth through monologues, scene performances, and written work.

The course will focus on developing and cultivating a student’s ability to create the life of a character

Designed for those who have had no previous musical training. A study of music notation, music theory; scales, keys, intervals, harmonization, transportation, triads and simple chord progressions. Students will receive ear training, learn how to compose their own simple musical compositions for piano, and learn to play beginning-level piano music at the keyboard. Course Campus: NYC

This course provides students the ability to teach themselves a piece of music. Theoretical skills are taught such as key signatures, time signatures, pitches, rhythms, etc., and very basic keyboard, sight-singing, and sight-reading skills.

Voice lessons geared to the healthy and free vocal production of the musical theatre singer.

Voice lessons geared to the healthy and free vocal production of the musical theatre singer. Course Campus:NY:Spring.

In this course, students are taught vocal anatomy through class work that focuses on physical alignment, breath control, vocal purity, resonance, vocal dynamics, and articulation, culminating in a poem or monologue presentation. Time permitting, student will also be introduced to the International Phonetics Alphabet (IPA) working on a general American accent, providing a foundation for accent work in the future.

This course introduces students to the components of voice and speech (respiration, phonation, resonation, and articulation) through class work that focuses on physical alignment, breath support, vocal clarity, resonance, range, and articulation. The work culminates in an exploration of heightened text for performance. The course also introduces students to the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), incorporating General American speech, and utilizing this foundation to explore at least two dialects/accents.

This course helps transform freshman students into musical theatre professionals, providing them with the knowledge and skills to study, work, and behave to their maximum potential in their field, both during their time at Pace and beyond.

The course will focus on developing and cultivating a musical theatre student’s ability to apply acquired in previous courses to contemporary musical scene work. Additionally students will continue to develop and strengthen their ability to analyze text and apply units and objectives.

While engaged in heightened language plays students will sharpen skills by reading, interpreting, and breaking down text to find powerful choices used to tell the story and create subtext. The course will focus on the plays and playwrights of realism: Ibsen, Chekhov and Williams, etc. in order to develop the skills necessary to effectively perform musical scenes.

An exploration into the style and repertoire of the most influential composers and lyricists of the early Musical Theatre. Musical Theater History Repertoire is a unique blend of a vocal performance and history class. Each week students will learn a new song, based on the era of musical theater that is covered in that week. Students will schedule an individual coaching session once a week, and then perform in front of the class to be critiqued by the Professor and fellow students. Students will sing material from the different composers each week from Irving Berlin to the Golden Age of Musical Theater in the 1950’s so the class can understand and hear characteristics of each style. Student will learn to be able to place each song in its appropriate historical and textual context.

A continuation of the exploration into the style and repertoire of the most influential composers and lyricists of the early Musical Theatre. Musical Theater History Repertoire is a unique blend of a vocal performance and history class. Each week students will learn a new song, based on the era of musical theater that is covered in that week. Students will schedule an individual coaching session once a week, and then perform in front of the class to be critiqued by the Professor and fellow students. Students will sing material from the different composers each week from Irving Berlin to the Golden Age of Musical Theater in the 1950’s so the class can understand and hear characteristics of each style. Student will learn to be able to place each song in its appropriate historical and textual context.

Musical Theatre Performance Technique is a process-based performance class that will teach the synthesis of emotional life, singing and movement skills as the foundation for a truthful and authentic musical theatre performance technique. In this class students will explore three different assigned musical theatre selections and work on them in a dramatic context. Each student will work on their song in front of the class 3 times. Students will learn to develop a character within the context of their song and be able to identify the obstacle, objective, tactics and stakes. Vocally, students will work on breath control, quality of tone and use of the voice in different registers in relationship to the character. Physically, students will explore the brain to body connection, learning to sing from a neutral, unaffected physical place. The primary focus however, is to learn to integrate these three skills. Most of the time in class will be working on producing an honest interpretation of the song. Course Campus:NY;Spring.

Voice lessons geared to the healthy and free vocal production of the musical theatre singer.

Voice lessons geared to the healthy and free vocal production of the musical theatre singer. Course Campus:NY;Spring.

A study of script preparation and rehearsal techniques needed by the stage manager in professional and educational theater. Emphasis on methods, working conditions, union regulations and developing a production script.

The course is an exploration of the fundamental tools of Verse and Heightened Language acting—the text—from the actor’s point of view. What clues for the actor are in the words themselves? How are we meant to use devices such as the verse rhythm, the verse rhythm, the sounds of the language, and the word choices to bring the character to life, to discover the most dynamic performance of the scene, to excite thought and feeling in an audience? This is extended to the musical scene and the various techniques taught are applied to the musical performance.

The course is meant to explore acting from an integrated point of view. That is to say, through creation of ritual, social context/lessons and transformational moments. The primary approach to the class involves the finding and rehearsing of scenes. This work will be supplemented by readings, discussions, exercises, improvisations, and a monologue. Discoveries are applied to the student’s work on the musical stage.

A performance-based class with an emphasis on integration of acting, singing, and movement skills. In this class, students will learn to sing material from the musical theatre repertoire in a dramatic context.

Students explore a series of assigned musical theatre scenes in which the book of a musical is integrated with its score. The focus will be on developing the skills needed to perform in a musical. Students will be assigned three different scenes all in different styles. The first will be a scene-solo, the second will be a scene-duet-scene, or a thru-sung scene and the third will be a performance based duet or a contemporary scene.

Voice lessons geared to the healthy and free vocal production of the musical theatre singer.

Voice lessons geared to the healthy and free vocal production of the musical theatre singer. Course Campus:NY:Spring.

This course offers students the opportunity to use their work on a production as a lab experience to apply the skills, techniques, and knowledge acquired in class.

This course offers students the opportunity to use their work on a production as a lab experience to apply the skills, techniques, and knowledge acquired in class.

This course introduces students to the components of voice and speech (respiration, phonation, resonation, and articulation) through class work that focuses on physical alignment, breath support, vocal clarity, resonance, range, and articulation. The work culminates in an exploration of heightened text for performance. The course also introduces students to the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), incorporating General American speech, and utilizing this foundation to explore at least two dialects/accents

The course will introduce students to the fundamental skills necessary to work with commercial copy, sides and cue cards in front of a camera as when in a commercial shoot. The course aims to help students come from themselves as actors and make memorable choices during this process. Students will learn commercial copy and cold reading techniques including how to do copy within given time frames. All crucial work will be examined and reviewed on camera.

The course will introduce students to the fundamental skills necessary to act in front of the camera. The course aims to help students re-channel the physical energy required for stage to more intimate behavior-driven acting needed for on-camera work. The class will be taught in a hands-on lab style approach. Physical movement, blocking, as well as “cold reading” of the script and work situation similar to actual “episodic” programming experiences will also be covered. Also included are space and fourth wall exercises, personalization and substitution works. Actors will perform in a multiple camera studio. Performances will be played-back and critiqued at every session. Course Campus:NY:Spring.

This acting course is offered to second semester seniors focusing on the foundational elements and techniques associated with the craft of acting. Using the teachings/writings of Uta Hagen and Sanford Meisner, the class will explore the original acting exercises designated to invoke in the actor an essence of simplicity, honesty, and the skills of listening.

This is a performance-based class with an emphasis on preparation for professional auditions. In this class, students will be assigned music that is specific to their needs and will be chosen based on the student’s range, voice and type. Students will leave this class with all the necessary skills needed to audition.

An introduction for senior musical theater students to the business elements of the entertainment industry.

Voice lessons geared to the healthy and free vocal production of the musical theatre singer.

Voice lessons geared to the healthy and free vocal production of the musical theatre singer Course Campus:NY:Spring.

This class will prepare students for their senior showcase, a valuable opportunity to show your acting skills to those working professionally in the NY Entertainment Industry (i.e. Agents, casting, directors, directors, etc.). Students will meet musical theatre industry professionals and interact with them. Students will continue to refine their audition skills and solidify their audition repertoire.