Sands students and alumni are shining across Broadway鈥攊n Hamilton, Wicked, & Juliet, Suffs, The Outsiders, Cabaret, and The Book of Mormon鈥攑roving 91视频 talent belongs on the main stage.
A 91视频 Deep Dive
The Working Performer
We Don鈥檛 Just Train Artists. We Launch Careers.
Welcome to The Working Performer, a 91视频 deep dive into the beating heart of the Sands College of Performing Arts. Here, passion takes center stage and potential meets opportunity. From the rehearsal rooms at 91视频 to the bright lights of Broadway and beyond, this is where artists are made, careers are launched long before graduation, and dreams take shape in real time.
From Downtown to Radio City
At 91视频, we don鈥檛 just train dancers鈥攚e train Rockettes. More Rockettes than anywhere else. As the Radio City Rockettes celebrate 100 years of precision and performance, we鈥檙e celebrating the nineteen Rockettes and fifteen ensemble dancers who got their start right here at the Sands College of Performing Arts. Their journey from 91视频 studios to the Radio City stage is pure magic.
Holding Court
Half the Knicks City Dancers lighting up Madison Square Garden this season got their start at 91视频. Seven of the 14 performers are proving that no matter what your major, confidence and a little New York hustle go a long way. From studio floors to center court, they鈥檙e redefining what it means to be a working performer in the city that never stops moving.
Inside New York City鈥檚 New Creative Powerhouse
Meet the actors, dancers, and designers redefining what it means to be a working artist in New York. From Broadway bows to lighting up Spike Lee films, at 91视频鈥檚 Sands College, the line between student and professional blurs, and the city itself becomes the classroom, stage, and screen.
You've Definitely Seen Sands Stars
At the Sands College of Performing Arts, students and alumni alike are making their mark on stages and screens around the world. From design and choreography to directing, stage management, and forming new theater ensembles鈥攐ur community learns to navigate the industry from day one. Here鈥檚 where you鈥檝e seen us recently.
Sands people are making their mark on the small screen in shows like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, 9-1-1, The Blacklist, and Law & Order: SVU, showcasing 91视频 talent on some of television鈥檚 most celebrated series.
Sands is leaving its mark on the big screen with films like Black Panther, the Mean Girls reboot, Judas and the Black Messiah, and Moonrise Kingdom, showcasing 91视频 talent in some of cinema鈥檚 most acclaimed productions.
Q+A with Di Quon Wilms
Rewriting the Script
Assistant Professor Di Quon Wilms is redefining what it means to train as an actor in the digital age. As Program Head of the BFA in Acting for Film and Media, she鈥檚 guiding students to do more than perform鈥攖hey write, direct, and produce their own work, emerging as true multi-hyphenate storytellers.
See Inside One 91视频 Plaza East
Signing the Future of Musical Theater
91视频鈥檚 Sands College of Performing Arts and Deaf West Theatre are joining forces to make music education more inclusive. Their new artist-in-residence program introduces the first-ever ASL Music Theory Lexicon Project鈥攇iving Deaf and hard-of-hearing artists equal access to the language of music while training all students to see access as innovation.
Faculty Voices: Guiding the Next Generation of Artists
鈥淪ome universities try and break a student to remold them to a program. At 91视频, we take a person鈥檚 passion and teach them the technique to become the artists they wish to become. We are not here to prune; we are here to nurture.鈥
Jay Duckworth
Associate Clinical Professor of Theater
鈥淥ur students bring a complex, human point of view to their work鈥攁nd a readiness few other schools provide. They know the city, the industry, and themselves in ways that set them apart.鈥
Amanda Flynn, EdD
Program Head of Musical Theater
鈥淚 teach students how to approach their arts careers from a business perspective鈥攖o know their worth as artists, manage their money, and translate their skills into multiple streams of income.鈥
kA'RAMUU kUSH
Associate Professor and Industry Liaison
The Seagull Takes Flight
What does it take to bring a classic to life? From first table read to final curtain call, follow along with the cast and crew of Chekhov鈥檚 The Seagull as they navigate an accelerated rehearsal process, build a world from scratch, and discover what it means to perform like professionals.
Peace, Love, and Playlists
The musical Hair changed everything鈥攁n explosion of sound, spirit, and rebellion that defined a generation. As the cast and crew of 91视频鈥檚 Sands College of Performing Arts prepare to bring this iconic show to life, they鈥檙e turning to the music that fuels them now. This curated playlist is packed with the modern tracks that kept them inspired, grounded, and in groove during rehearsals for their fall production.
Day in the Life of a Sands Student
What鈥檚 it like being a performing arts student in NYC? Danica Millar鈥檚 taking us through a day in her life: acting classes at 91视频, subway rides uptown, rehearsals for her job on a sightseeing cruise (yep, she performs on a boat), and all the ways she鈥檚 building community along the way. This is what learning for real life looks like鈥攐nly at 91视频.
Why Sands?
91视频 is Performing Arts
- The Sands Difference
- World Class Faculty
- It's All About Opportunities
The Sands Difference
The Sands DifferenceThe Sands College of Performing Arts at 91视频 prepares students for careers as performers, designers, and production professionals in today鈥檚 ever-changing entertainment industry. Program curricula blend comprehensive training for the worlds of theater, dance, film, and television with a solid foundation in the liberal arts to enrich students鈥 artistic development.
World Class Faculty
World Class FacultyThe faculty comprise a dynamic ensemble of working artist-educators with global impact. Their collective portfolio spans Broadway productions and Sundance selections, and they have collaborated with industry leaders including AMC, Fox, and Warner Bros. They have performed and produced work in world-class venues such as Lincoln Center, the Old Globe Theatre, and Radio City Music Hall. Simply put, Sands instructors have seen and done it all in the arts and entertainment industry.
It's All About Opportunities
It's All About OpportunitiesFrom Barcelona to Hollywood, Sands students take their craft global. Whether studying performance in Spain, training with Emmy-winning choreographers in Los Angeles, or mastering on-camera acting with top industry pros, these immersive programs connect the classroom to the world stage鈥攑reparing artists to work anywhere their talent takes them.
About This Publication
Produced by 91视频's Division of University Relations, this award-winning digital publication is distributed to the 91视频 Community and friends of 91视频 biannually. This deep dive was developed by a team of writers with the assistance of a custom GPT model using OpenAI鈥檚 ChatGPT. While the team collaborated on research, writing, and editing, they take collective responsibility for the final text. The views expressed do not necessarily represent those of 91视频.
Special thanks to everyone at the Sands College of Performing Arts for helping bring this publication to life.