NJ School of Dramatic Arts Offering Free Sample Acting Classes During Open House Weekend

The New Jersey School of Dramatic Arts is hosting their Fall Open House and Sample Class Day on Saturday, September 13 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and on Sunday, September 14, 12 pm to 2pm. Classes are being held at their studios located at 593 Bloomfield Ave. in Bloomfield.

Sample classes being offered for adults and teens include Intro to Acting, Intro to Improvisation, Intro to Musical Theater and TV Commercials. Kids (grades 1-3) can sample Ready, Set, Act! and Broadway Juniors. Older kids (grades 4-5) can sample Young Actors Workshop and Musical Theater Kids. Sample classes for Tweens (grades 6-8) include Tweens Acting, Musical Theater and Improv Comedy. All sample classes are approximately 30 minutes long. The current schedule and all class descriptions can be found on the website at njactors.org.

Directors Beth Baur and Bob Sapoff said, “The wonderful thing about the sample class day is that anyone interested in trying a class or finding out about acting or musical theater can do so in a safe environment with no obligation to register for classes. It is so much fun and absolutely stress free. Students often tell us that they loved the opportunity to meet the teachers and find out if NJSDA was going to be a good fit for them.”
The school is in its 10th year in Bloomfield. Many of its students have gone on to have careers in television, film and on stage. The school offers six levels of acting, a multi-level musical theater program and one of the top improv programs in the state. It is the home of three professional improv troupes and its professional Encore Youth Theater Company for advanced acting and musical theater students. In fact, their Encore Youth Theater troupe will be presenting RENT on January 9 - 11 at the Westminster Arts Center at Bloomfield College.
All of the teachers at the studio have extensive experience as performers as well as years in the classroom. They include:
Beth Baur, director, who has been a professional actor for more than 30 years and has worked with such luminaries as Tommy Tune, George Burns and Lanford Wilson. She has performed in national tours, Off-Broadway, regional theatre and has done over 200 network commercials and corporate industrial films, as well as voice-overs and print. Beth has also been a theatre educator for over 20 years. She founded a Theatre for Young Audience’s company called “The Make-Believables” and created the children’s touring company “The Great Pretenders”. In addition to this, she is an adjunct professor in acting for the film department at Montclair State University. Beth has also been a theater critic and instructor at the annual Morris County Teen Arts Festival. She directed the independent film, REEL WOMEN. Beth received her BFA at the Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University and was selected to be included in that year’s “Who’s Who of American Colleges”.

Robert Sapoff, director, has been profiled on ABC News, CNN, NY 1 News and in the Star Ledger, Herald News, and Daily Record. A professional actor for over 25 years, his theatre credits include the role of Harpo in the Off-Broadway revival of “The Cocoanuts”, which was named one of the 10 best Off-Broadway productions of the year. Bob has appeared on Nickelodeon and in countless television commercials (including a Clio Award winner) and print work nationwide. He created and directed “On The Spot”, a professional improvisational comedy troupe and is the founder and executive director of NJSDA’s own professional improv troupe, “Nutty By Nature”, which tours the NY/NJ metropolitan area. Since 2008 he has been an adjunct professor in the film department of Montclair State University where he teaches “Acting for Filmmakers”. Bob has also been a theater critic and instructor at the annual Morris County Teen Arts Festival. In his 20+ years as a teacher, Bob has taught over 2,000 students.

Gary Lynch, a two time National Broadway Award nominee for his performance in Mamma Mia! He originated the role of Sam Carmichael for the North American Premiere of Mamma Mia! in Toronto, the U.S. Premiere in San Francisco and the 1st National Company. On Broadway, he performed the role of Inspector Javert in Les Miserables.

For more information call New Jersey School of Dramatic Arts at 973-566-9700 or email at info@njactors.org. The current class schedule and all descriptions can be found at njactors.org.
New Jersey School of Dramatic Arts is a nonprofit educational organization.