College News - Danèl

New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts, NY
Following interviews and an audition, Danèl has learnt that she has been accepted to her first-choice school: New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts (NYCDA). She will study for the Associate Degree in Occupational Studies. This is a career degree in which all the courses relate directly to preparing students for specific careers. Last summer, Danèl attended the NYCDA Summer Acting Program. For her degree, Danèl has chosen the Film and Television Program. 
​
The program teaches the on-camera acting and professional skills required to work successfully at every form of screen acting, including film, TV, commercials, voice-overs, and webisodes. It begins with a Platform Year. From day one, the platform year curriculum helps students to develop their craft, fully embrace movement and improvisation, and discover themselves as an artist. The platform year also introduces the technical aspects of working in front of a camera and the professional protocols of being on a set.

Advancement into the Film and Television Year is by invitation only, and is based on teacher evaluations, academic standing, and final performances reviewed by the Academic Leadership Team. The Film and TV Year offers the opportunity to integrate technique with understanding, in order to deliver honest performances that still meet the unique requirements of the camera. Scene work and a deeper exploration of acting processes are the focus throughout this rigorous year.

All actors in their final semester will audition with a pre-prepared monologue in front of a panel of working casting directors, managers, and agents in “Jury.” Each Juror will give specific written feedback to each student, and some students will be invited back to “Super Jury” to perform for an additional panel of casting directors, managers, and agents.

Additionally students will take a business workshop and complete an industry internship. The Film and Television Year work culminates with the “Final Reel” shoot, where students will rehearse a monologue selected to show them to their best advantage and film it with a professional film crew. The reel will become the basis for the student’s professional reel.

NYCDA alumni are well-trained professionals who are thriving in the entertainment industry today including: Vicky Jeudy -TV: Orange Is The New Black, Law & Order: SVU, Films: Armstrong, Romeo and Juliet in Harlem, Addiction, Shake, Frog Kissers; Ser’Darius Blain - TV: NCIS, Jane By Design, The Vampire Diaries, Black Book, Survivor’s Remorse, Chicago PD, Shameless, Sweet/Vicious, Charmed, Films: Beneath the Leaves, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Maybe Someday, Beneath The Leaves, When the Game Stands Tall, Camp X-Ray, Star Trek into Darkness, Footloose; and Alice St. Clair - The Crimson Field, Before I Sleep, William & Catherine: A Royal Romance, Sarah’s Key, to name just a few. www.nycda.edu 

New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts Scholarship
Danèl has been awarded a partial scholarship to attend NYCDA covering close to 30% of her tuition fees over the two year degree program. Well done Danèl!

---