City College’s theatre department is offering new acting classes for Spring 2015.

Additional classes, Development of drama: Musical theater, Stage combat and Acting style: Shakespeare will be offered

The musical theatre class is already available for students to register and will be taught by Indie award-winning director and City College’s Associate theatre professor Michael Gros.

“The two new courses came about through my professional interest in the subjects,” said Gros.

He explained that having directed several musical plays in the past and worked, years ago, as a fight captain for the Utah Shakespeare Festival led him to bring those experiences to City College and teach students what he learned.

Gros continues to do some basic stage-violence choreography through the plays, such as “Ten Red Kings,” the student showcase production, which he directed.

“Solo, duet, ballad, up-tempo, belt and patter songs along with basic choreography are the heart of the course,” said Gros. “Students will also learn how to analyze the libretto, lyrics and music to develop proficiency in interpreting and performing musical theatre material.”

The class will be 12:45 p.m. to 2:05 p.m. Monday and Wednesday and as of Nov.24, there are only 23 spots available.

The other classes that are planned for students next year in the summer are “Stage Combat” and “Acting Style: Shakespeare.”

Gros, who is in charge of formatting the courses stated that the instructors for the aforementioned courses haven’t been established yet but associate theater professor Katherine Laris has expressed an interest in teaching a stage combat class in the past.

It’s intended to be a class where students can learn theatrical “stage violence” including a variety of slaps, punches, falls, hair pulls and basic edged weapons combat that will feature propped knives and swords.

The acting style for Shakespeare will be a course dedicated to study and practice the work of the distinguished English poet, actor and playwright William Shakespeare.

City college theatre student Daniel Palladino expressed his interest in taking stage combat for the future but he also claimed he would like to see an acting class that would help students with understand better the process of an audition.

“It would be fun to have a workshop audition,” Palladino said. “To be able to learn what you can do to prepare for an audition.”

Another idea for an acting class came from one of this year’s recipient of Fall’s Sara Evelyn Smith scholarship in theater arts, Emma Jolin.

“I would like to have an intermediate class for acting for the camera,” said Jolin.

She explained that it’s sad that there is only one Acting for the Camera course offered at City College and she hopes it will change in the future.

The theatre department at City College continues to expand and states that they offer programs of study and experience suited to the needs of the serious theatre student, as well as those students who wish to include theatre arts as part of their liberal arts education.

Students can look for more information on City College’s official theater page. As summer 2015 approaches more information regarding the stage combat and Shakespeare classes will be available.