In The Craft of Acting Pre-college Program at Montclair State University, you will experience a snapshot of a rigorous and transformative BFA Acting program. Explore the craft of acting in a fun, dynamic, collaborative and brave space that will foster your artistic growth. Students will learn to:
- Listen and react moment to moment within the given circumstances of a dramatic text
- Articulate strong objectives that will activate your inner life and imagination in service of character
- Embody actions to fight against scenic obstacles to achieve those objectives in order to get what your character wants in a scene
- Make embodied, “artistic” choices with a sense of ease and truth. You will experience what it means to be grounded and present within a scene
Finally, your acting work will be supplemented with and supported by movement and voice work with master teachers, who will help you begin to discover and integrate your natural voice and innate physical expressivity in order to bring YOURSELF into your acting work.
Program Highlights
- Learn how to be a collaborative member of a creative ensemble
- Take risks in a safe, yet brave space
- Learn how to read and analyze a dramatic text from the perspective of an actor
- Learn how to break a scene into beats and identify a powerful objective (ie: character need) to fuel your journey through a scene
- Embody strong actions to help you get what you want from your scene partner and overcome any obstacles in your way
- Be present and grounded in your acting work
- Begin to learn how to utilize your natural voice and your body’s innate expressivity in service of character
- Present your work for friends in family in a short final performance at the end of the week
NYC Field Trip
You’ll learn from amazing Montclair faculty and guest speakers who have extensive professional experience as actors, directors and educators. An exciting aspect of the week includes a field trip to a Broadway show to see how the training you will receive here is reflected on some of the biggest stages in the country. Most of your experience will happen in the modern BFA Acting studio spaces on campus in Life Hall, where students have the space and support to jump into their training. We’re looking forward to welcoming you to Montclair this summer, where you’ll take the next step towards your future while enjoying all the fun of residential life on our scenic campus only 12 miles from New York City.
The Craft of Acting will run during Session II: Sunday, July 20 – Saturday, July 26, 2025.
Program Director
Frederick Schrider
Adjunct Faculty
schriderf@montclair.edu
Department of Theater and Dance