At a point in students’ careers when focus necessarily narrows, and the world can become no bigger than a “black box,” this course intends to widen horizons, and open a dialogue with the world.  Not only distinguished artists of the theatre – directors, actors, designers, etc. – but distinguished “artists” in other fields – film, law, medicine, media, etc. - are invited to the class to share their views. Private tours of the Metropolitan Museum and the Metropolitan Opera are conducted by representatives of those organizations.  Every guest or guide assigns preparatory readings to enrich the students’ experience, and, in a short essay, every event is assessed by the students for its particular revelation to them.  The instructor assigns a major non-theatre reading to inform the entire semester, and the students “assign” shorter readings that capture their passions.  This course is designed to “change” minds.

Required for 4th Year Directors and any student in their final semester of training.

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A lunchtime seminar in which fourth year directors support and critique each other's work, this class is more informal and less structured than the third year directing seminar, as students help each other troubleshoot and solve problems they encounter in the process of mounting a production start to finish. This year, in addition to the time given to discuss process and production, two hours each week will be given to a lab, in which students grapple on their feet with issues and challenges they are encountering, testing exploratory exercises and rehearsal techniques. There will also be discussion and some implementation of approaches used by directors Peter Brook and Anne Bogart, whose books (The Empty Space and A Director Prepares) we'll be reading in the early part of the semester.

Required for 4th Year Directors.

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Directors who receive permission from the directing faculty may direct full-length plays that are more fully realized productions than those of the 3rd year and are presented in a small Off-Off Broadway theater. Each director has the benefit of a mentor and other faculty members to serve as special advisors for their production.

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Introduces basic principals of theatrical producing using fourth year COW & Directing Projects as the application model.   Specific areas of study include but are not limited to budgeting, marketing, grant writing, fundraising, royalties and contracts.   This course also offers a look at post-graduate resources and will help prepare a graduating theater artist for their transition into the professional world.

Required for COW IV/V and 4th Year Directors.

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The class examines basic human anatomy as it relates to external body movement. Each session consists of a rigorous Pilates mat series followed by an interactive anatomy lesson. Students are expected to develop the ability to use their anatomical knowledge to identify range of motion in the order to extend that range. Ultimately, the class is designed to deepen each student's understanding of core strength, to increase stamina and allow the actor to visualize how the body works from the inside out.

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What is cabaret? What are the essentials of cabaret, the rules of cabaret and what does it mean to break them? What is the history of cabaret and what form(s) does it take today? Through the exploration of these questions, and more, students develop a working definition of cabaret and then put it into practice. The class guides students through the collaborative construction and production of an eclectic cabaret of their own design.

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This aspect of the program was "work-shopped" with the cast of last year's FAIR FIGHT and was tremendously successful. Scheduled at the end of the semester, a series of master classes, panels, and seminars deal with issues experienced by professional working actors.   Seminars in the business of acting, goal setting, various mediums and opportunities available to you, resources, as well as open question and answer forums serve as a sort of "boot camp" to assist you in making informed decisions about your post-graduate trajectory.

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This part of the program fills the remaining hours each week. The classes are to be determined on an individual basis with the guidance of the program mentor. Options include: Music Performance Technique with Jeanne Lehman; Voice and Speech; other classes in the already existing first, second and third year curriculum classes you were not able to find time for in the past such as Self-Producing, Playwriting, Dance Elective, Design, Script Analysis, Form and Content, etc.

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This class is a second advanced acting class and is taught by a "master faculty".   Over the semester, students work with instructors from the profession in 3-4 week sessions.   The curriculum for these classes is determined by each instructor and is designed to expose students to various and unique approaches to material and performance.  

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Space and time has been reserved for a student-driven performance. With the guidance of Salty Brine, a seasoned Cabaret performer, students are encouraged to re-invent the hackneyed show case format and create a Cabaret that both entertains an audience and displays the contrasting strengths and abilities of each performer. A limited budget with basic production resources provided.

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This class functions as the core Fourth Year acting class. It builds on and extrapolates from the various techniques, forms and acting theories that students have explored over the past few years. Through approaching an American classic by way of extremely different acting styles, the class stretches and strengthens a student's ability to use conflicting tools and ideas within one process. By so doing, students arrive at a playable, consistent, living and moving theatrical result. 

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