Sands College of Performing Arts at Pace University

08/28/2026

The doors are open. The stages are ready. 🎭💃 One Pace Plaza East is officially here—and the Sands College of Performing Arts has a whole new home for creating, rehearsing, designing, producing, and performing. Explore the new dance studios, soundstage, Black Box Theater, design and drafting studios, costume and scene shops, production spaces, and more—plus Schimmel Theater and the new Garden Theater.

There’s a LOT to see. Take a floor-by-floor tour of One Pace Plaza East and find your new favorite space.

One Pace Plaza East is officially open, and there’s a lot to explore. From new theaters and studios to student lounges, creative spaces, and Maria’s Tower, here’s your guide to what you’ll find inside.

08/28/2026

Two Sands alums. One iconic musical. 🎭
Musical Theater alums Maxim Chlumecky and Nathan Levy are headed to Broadway in “The Fantasticks.” Max will star as Matt, with Nathan starring as Lewis in the new production at the Hayes Theater.
Congratulations to both on this exciting next chapter. Performances begin October 22.

Second Stage Theater will stage the Broadway premiere of the Jones and Schmidt classic, as reimagined by Christopher Gattelli.

08/21/2026

Only 10 days left to apply for the 2026 Fall Dance Intensive! Students in grades 9–12 can spend three days training with leading dance professionals in the heart of New York City, October 2–4, 2026.

Applications close September 1.

Join Pace’s Fall Dance Intensive to refine your technique, learn from industry professionals, and experience dance training in NYC.

08/20/2026

From Sands in New York City to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. 🎭🌍 A group of Sands College of Performing Arts alumni are taking an original play—and the creative relationships they built at Pace—to an international stage with We’ve Got Time. Written by and starring BFA Acting alum Emma Louise Lerner, the production also features fellow BFA Acting alumni Sophie Isbell, Benjamin Paulk, and Cassie Martin, with Sands International Performance Ensemble ’24 alum Isabel Dirks directing.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe has been a gathering place for artists and storytellers from around the world since 1947. For these Sands alumni, being part of it represents an exciting next chapter: taking the skills, ideas, and creative community they developed in New York City and turning them into original work for audiences across the Atlantic. It’s also a reminder of what can happen when artists find their collaborators. From studying and creating together at Sands to producing their own work on an international stage, Emma, Sophie, Benjamin, Cassie, and Isabel are building the kinds of careers—and creating the kinds of opportunities—that make us incredibly proud.

Congratulations to the entire team. We’ll be cheering you on from NYC! 💙💛

Learn more at wevegottime.com.

08/20/2026

A full-circle moment for Musical Theater BFA junior Christian Perkins. 🌟

Christian, who first stepped onstage at age 7 in a Stage Center production of “The Lion King,” is returning home to take on the title role in “Dear Evan Hansen.” 🎭

Christian credits those early experiences with helping shape his path as an actor. We love seeing our students carry their training forward while staying connected to the communities that first inspired them. 💙 💛

Read more about Christian’s journey and this homecoming role:
https://www.ktalnews.com/entertainment-news/shreveport-dear-evan-hansen-christian-perkins/

08/12/2026

World-class training. World-class talent. World-class recognition. 🏆🌟

Pace University’s Sands College of Performing Arts has been named one of The Hollywood Reporter’s 25 Best Drama Schools in the World—an incredible honor for our students, faculty, alumni, and entire creative community. 🎭👏

Read more: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/arts/best-drama-schools-2026-1236601303/

08/06/2026

Get a behind-the-scenes look at Production and Design for Stage and Screen BFA alum Alysha Burgwardt in action. 🎬🌟

Alysha has built a wide-ranging career across costumes, hair and wigs, and makeup, making her a backstage "triple threat." 💪Check out these photos capturing her at work on major Las Vegas productions, including "Awakening" at Wynn Las Vegas and "Atomic Saloon" at The Venetian.

Her path has taken her from Goodspeed Opera House and Hartford Stage to Cirque du Soleil's "The Beatles LOVE." Now a licensed cosmetologist, she has also worked on productions including EDC, iLuminate, and "Bob Marley Hope Road."

From Pace to major live productions, Alysha's path reflects the range and adaptability at the heart of production and design. Strong training. Expanding skills. A career built backstage. 🎭✨

08/04/2026

From Peabody-winning podcasts to the future of the American musical, Sands College faculty are earning some well-deserved applause. 👏⭐️

Brendan Patrick Hughes received a 2025 Peabody Award for Divine Intervention, Eric Price and Phillip Christian Smith were named 2026 Kleban Prize winners, and Adam J. Rineer received a 2026 Jonathan Larson Grant.

These honors celebrate extraordinary artists whose work reaches far beyond the classroom while inspiring and mentoring the next generation of performers and storytellers at .

From Peabody-winning storytelling and major musical theatre honors to global AI collaboration and civic engagement tied to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Pace faculty are earning national and international recognition for work that reaches far beyond the classroom.

07/30/2026

Building an accessible future takes more than opening the doors of new theaters. It means thinking carefully about who can train, create, work, and perform in every space.

We are grateful to see Pace recognized by Backstage for its investment in accessibility. Danielle Pretsfelder Demchick of the Casting Society described this work as “incredible” and called Pace “one of the top BFA programs in the country.”

That progress is taking shape in our new performing arts spaces at One Pace Plaza East. The theaters were designed with access in mind, including an accessible lighting grid and ADA access on every major level of Schimmel Theater, extending to the stage and catwalks.

It is also reflected in our partnership with Deaf West Theatre to develop a first-of-its-kind ASL music theory lexicon and expand music education for Deaf and hard-of-hearing artists.

This is how change moves forward: through thoughtful design, meaningful partnership, and a belief that access strengthens the work.

Casting directors and disabled actors offer advice on how to make it in the entertainment industry.

07/30/2026

Get a first look inside the new performing arts spaces opening at One Pace Plaza East this fall. In this video, Senior Director of Operations and Production Laurie Brown-Kindred answers student and faculty questions about new studios, labs, sound stages, rehearsal spaces, and what the move means for Sands College of Performing Arts.

Step inside the new performing arts spaces opening this fall as Sen...