Uploaded November 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Steinhardt’s Educational Theatre course layers words, sounds, and movement in exercises that free students' imaginations and help them develop performance skills
There’s no room for shyness in the Black Box Theatre on the ground floor of Pless Hall, where Nan Smithner’s students meet weekly for “Physical Theatre & Improvisation,” a course that examines the art of improvisation through specific vocal and movement techniques.
Required for Educational Theatre students, the course encourages students to be playful and experimental as they discover ways to communicate with their entire body. In any given session, that means jumping, miming, groaning, or any combination of sounds and gestures that express an intention or idea.
“I teach a lot through play, and improvisation is embedded in everything,” Clinical Professor Nan Smithner explains. “I’m advocating for the whole body to be expressive.”
NYU News attended a recent session, where the students worked with Smithner and teaching Assistant Jordan Stewart on techniques used in Action Theatre.
Steinhardt’s Educational Theatre course layers words, sounds, and movement in exercises that free students' imaginations and help them develop performance skills
There’s no room for shyness in the Black Box Theatre on the ground floor of Pless Hall, where Nan Smithner’s students meet weekly for “Physical Theatre & Improvisation,” a course that examines the art of improvisation through specific vocal and movement techniques.
Required for Educational Theatre students, the course encourages students to be playful and experimental as they discover ways to communicate with their entire body. In any given session, that means jumping, miming, groaning, or any combination of sounds and gestures that express an intention or idea.
“I teach a lot through play, and improvisation is embedded in everything,” Clinical Professor Nan Smithner explains. “I’m advocating for the whole body to be expressive.”
NYU News attended a recent session, where the students worked with Smithner and teaching Assistant Jordan Stewart on techniques used in Action Theatre.
