Luke Ferrell
Welcome To Luke's Page
Luke Ferrell is a New Jersey based theatre teaching artist and stage director and an undergraduate theatre arts, history, and education student at Rutger University. He has extensive experience in teaching students ages 6-18 in the areas of acting, musical theater, and technical theatre. Luke has directed several productions both at his university and in community theatre and educational theatre programs. His unique approach to stage direction includes a collaborative process of crafting in which the actor engages in a variety of exercises to gain a comprehensive understanding of the world of the character in the context of the actor's own experience and truth. Luke primarily aligns his instruction and coaching with the American Stanislavski System of acting but sees the value in drawing on a variety of acting methodologies to best cater to the most effective and truthful portrayal of the work.
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my Classes
class plan
Musicool Theater
Summer Semester
Week | Session Topic/Theme | Class Structure Students will do & learn: | Materials needed |
1 | Introduction to Musical Theater & How to See a Musical | Intro: Teacher introduction, student introductions, name game, “news report” to talk about something that happened this week, Broadway show of the week, body warm-up Content: Defining theater and musical theater, discuss how to watch a live performance and audience etiquette Closing: Discuss the importance of warm-ups for the actor, go through a few warm-ups and the purpose of each exercise for the body | None |
2 | Acting I: The Three C’s, Identity & Point-of-View | Intro: Teacher introduction, student introductions, name game, “news report” to talk about something that happened this week, Broadway show of the week, body warm-up Content: Define “point-of-view” and discuss the importance of feeling as an actor, finding an object of importance and discussing feelings towards it Closing: Implement point-of-view into theater games and exercises beginning to think about character and crafting | None |
3 | Acting II: Objectives & Actions | Intro: Teacher introduction, student introductions, name game, “news report” to talk about something that happened this week, Broadway show of the week, body warm-up Content: Define objective and look at examples of objectives in musical theater songs and scenes, define action and play games that demonstrate achieving objectives through meaningful actions Closing: Begin to apply objectives and actions in scenes and character work | Comfortable Clothing, Water, and Space for Dancing |
4 | Voice: Technique & Theory | Intro: Teacher introduction, student introductions, name game, “news report” to talk about something that happened this week, Broadway show of the week, body warm-up, Use the continuum model for expressive singing and dynamics, execute vocal warm ups and discuss the importance of warming up the voice, implement proper singing posture and technique Content: Discuss the use of microphones and the difference between musical theatre and pop singing, discuss vocal range, evaluate “types” and stereotypes in theatre Closing: Apply basic vocal technique and posture to a selected song | None |
5 | Dance I: Body & Movement | Intro: Teacher introduction, student introductions, name game, “news report” to talk about something that happened this week, Broadway show of the week, body warm-upDevelop and practice a readiness ritual as a means to ground the actor, demonstrate actor neutral as a starting place for any moment, discuss the importance of body and movement for the actor Content: Practice proper breathing and the avoidance of cooling breaths, discuss breath in the context of the character, understand the role that the face plays in singing and acting, discuss the 360-degree actor and practice spatial awareness, demonstrate the different postures and stances of the actor and its connection to vulnerability Closing: Exercise purposeful moments and gestures through an exercise, and apply meaningful moments to the a selected song | Comfortable Clothing, Water, and Space for Dancing |
6 | Acting III: Crafting Characters & Improvisation | Intro: Teacher introduction, student introductions, name game, “news report” to talk about something that happened this week, Broadway show of the week, body warm-up, List favorite fictional characters and qualities that make them believable, Content: Outline the process for developing a character, tap into introductory acting technique to craft and portray meaningful and truthful character work, Determine rules and conventions for improvisation, play improv games to get comfortable with improvisation with some basic circumstances Closing: Craft circumstances and improvise a scene within those circumstances | Basic Art Supplies (Paper, Pencil and Crayons or Colored Pencils) |
7 | Dance II: Choreography | Intro: Teacher introduction, student introductions, name game, “news report” to talk about something that happened this week, Broadway show of the week, body warm-up Determine the role of dance in a musical, watch quality examples of musical theatre dance and analyze their purpose in the context of the show, stretch and prepare the body for dance Content: Learn a short combination to a classic musical theatre piece and analyze the different movements as a means of storytelling Closing: Reflect on the three components of musical theatre: acting, dance, and voice and discuss how the three are employed in storytelling | Comfortable Clothing, Water, and Space for Dancing |
8 | Technical Theater: Sets, Costumes, & Props | Intro: Teacher introduction, student introductions, name game, “news report” to talk about something that happened this week, Broadway show of the week, body warm-up Activate prior knowledge by listing the various roles that go into bringing a production to the stage, build a class list of the steps in a production process from start to finish Content: Discuss the production and design process, view examples of quality scenic art and discuss the effect of the work on the quality of the show, sketch the character that the student portrays in their song, share sketches with the class Closing: Perform the student’s selected piece using props and costumes of their choosing, determine the role of scenic elements in their performance | Basic Art Supplies (Paper, Pencil and Crayons or Colored Pencils) |
9 | Acting IV: Scenes | Intro: Teacher introduction, student introductions, name game, “news report” to talk about something that happened this week, Broadway show of the week, body warm-up Content: Discuss how to read and act a scene using acting technique, watch quality performances of short scenes, and critique the actors’ portrayals of the characters Closing: Rehearse and perform selected scenes in pairs and groups, critique and evaluate class scenes | None |
10 | Technical Theater: Sound & Lights | Intro: Teacher introduction, student introductions, name game, “news report” to talk about something that happened this week, Broadway show of the week, body warm-up Content: Students will discuss the fundamentals of sound and lights in musical theater, such as the function of light and sound, microphones, lekos and frasnels, and more! Closing: Students will apply sound effects to a scene and discuss its impact on the mood of the scene | None |
11 | Acting the Song I: Lyrics and Initial Reactions | Intro: Teacher introduction, student introductions, name game, “news report” to talk about something that happened this week, Broadway show of the week, body warm-up Content: Introduce “acting the song” through initial reactions and lyric analysis, analyze the lyrics to an unfamiliar song and view the live performance Closing: Perform songs for the class and receive instructor and classmate critiques, implement initial reactions into performance | Comfortable Clothing, Water, and Space for Dancing |
12 | Acting the Song II: Objectives, Actions, & Movement | Intro: Teacher introduction, student introductions, name game, “news report” to talk about something that happened this week, Broadway show of the week, body warm-up Content: Review examples of objectives and actions in our everyday lives and in a scene, identify ways that objectives and actions can affect movement in the context of a musical theater piece Closing: Apply objectives and actions and meaningful movement to a musical theater piece | Comfortable Clothing, Water, and Space for Dancing |
Using The Class Plan
Please Note: Both Age Groups (if applicable) will follow the same class plan structure and content. The content delivery will be tailored to the age group.