Sands students and alumni are shining across Broadway—in Hamilton, Wicked, & Juliet, Suffs, The Outsiders, Cabaret, and The Book of Mormon—proving Pace talent belongs on the main stage.
A Pace University Deep Dive
The Working Performer
We Don’t Just Train Artists. We Launch Careers.
Welcome to The Working Performer, a Pace University deep dive into the beating heart of the Sands College of Performing Arts. Here, passion takes center stage and potential meets opportunity. From the rehearsal rooms at Pace to the bright lights of Broadway and beyond, this is where artists are made, careers are launched long before graduation, and dreams take shape in real time.
From Downtown to Radio City
At Pace, we don’t just train dancers—we train Rockettes. More Rockettes than anywhere else. As the Radio City Rockettes celebrate 100 years of precision and performance, we’re celebrating the nineteen Rockettes and fifteen ensemble dancers who got their start right here at the Sands College of Performing Arts. Their journey from Pace studios to the Radio City stage is pure magic.
Numbers Tell the Story
#5
in the nation for most represented colleges on Broadway (Source: Playbill)
One of the Best
College Dance Programs in America for 2025 (Source: DanceUS.org)
Top 27
Acting Colleges in America (Source: Backstage.com)
Holding Court
Half the Knicks City Dancers lighting up Madison Square Garden this season got their start at Pace University. Seven of the 14 performers are proving that no matter what your major, confidence and a little New York hustle go a long way. From studio floors to center court, they’re redefining what it means to be a working performer in the city that never stops moving.
Inside New York City’s New Creative Powerhouse
Meet the actors, dancers, and designers redefining what it means to be a working artist in New York. From Broadway bows to lighting up Spike Lee films, at Pace’s Sands College, the line between student and professional blurs, and the city itself becomes the classroom, stage, and screen.
You've Definitely Seen Sands Stars
At the Sands College of Performing Arts, students and alumni alike are making their mark on stages and screens around the world. From design and choreography to directing, stage management, and forming new theater ensembles—our community learns to navigate the industry from day one. Here’s where you’ve seen us recently.
Sands people are making their mark on the small screen in shows like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, 9-1-1, The Blacklist, and Law & Order: SVU, showcasing Pace talent on some of television’s most celebrated series.
Sands is leaving its mark on the big screen with films like Black Panther, the Mean Girls reboot, Judas and the Black Messiah, and Moonrise Kingdom, showcasing Pace talent in some of cinema’s most acclaimed productions.
Q+A with Di Quon Wilms
Rewriting the Script
Assistant Professor Di Quon Wilms is redefining what it means to train as an actor in the digital age. As Program Head of the BFA in Acting for Film and Media, she’s guiding students to do more than perform—they write, direct, and produce their own work, emerging as true multi-hyphenate storytellers.
See Inside One Pace Plaza East
Signing the Future of Musical Theater
Pace’s Sands College of Performing Arts and Deaf West Theatre are joining forces to make music education more inclusive. Their new artist-in-residence program introduces the first-ever ASL Music Theory Lexicon Project—giving Deaf and hard-of-hearing artists equal access to the language of music while training all students to see access as innovation.
Faculty Voices: Guiding the Next Generation of Artists
“Some universities try and break a student to remold them to a program. At Pace, we take a person’s passion and teach them the technique to become the artists they wish to become. We are not here to prune; we are here to nurture.”
Jay Duckworth
Associate Clinical Professor of Theater
“Our students bring a complex, human point of view to their work—and a readiness few other schools provide. They know the city, the industry, and themselves in ways that set them apart.”
Amanda Flynn, EdD
Program Head of Musical Theater
“I teach students how to approach their arts careers from a business perspective—to know their worth as artists, manage their money, and translate their skills into multiple streams of income.”
kA'RAMUU kUSH
Associate Professor and Industry Liaison
The Seagull Takes Flight
What does it take to bring a classic to life? From first table read to final curtain call, follow along with the cast and crew of Chekhov’s The Seagull as they navigate an accelerated rehearsal process, build a world from scratch, and discover what it means to perform like professionals.
Peace, Love, and Playlists
The musical Hair changed everything—an explosion of sound, spirit, and rebellion that defined a generation. As the cast and crew of Pace University’s Sands College of Performing Arts prepare to bring this iconic show to life, they’re turning to the music that fuels them now. This curated playlist is packed with the modern tracks that kept them inspired, grounded, and in groove during rehearsals for their fall production.
Day in the Life of a Sands Student
What’s it like being a performing arts student in NYC? Danica Millar’s taking us through a day in her life: acting classes at Pace, subway rides uptown, rehearsals for her job on a sightseeing cruise (yep, she performs on a boat), and all the ways she’s building community along the way. This is what learning for real life looks like—only at Pace.
Why Sands?
Pace is Performing Arts
- The Sands Difference
- World Class Faculty
- It's All About Opportunities
The Sands Difference
The Sands DifferenceThe Sands College of Performing Arts at Pace University prepares students for careers as performers, designers, and production professionals in today’s ever-changing entertainment industry. Program curricula blend comprehensive training for the worlds of theater, dance, film, and television with a solid foundation in the liberal arts to enrich students’ artistic development.
World Class Faculty
World Class FacultyThe faculty comprise a dynamic ensemble of working artist-educators with global impact. Their collective portfolio spans Broadway productions and Sundance selections, and they have collaborated with industry leaders including AMC, Fox, and Warner Bros. They have performed and produced work in world-class venues such as Lincoln Center, the Old Globe Theatre, and Radio City Music Hall. Simply put, Sands instructors have seen and done it all in the arts and entertainment industry.
It's All About Opportunities
It's All About OpportunitiesFrom Barcelona to Hollywood, Sands students take their craft global. Whether studying performance in Spain, training with Emmy-winning choreographers in Los Angeles, or mastering on-camera acting with top industry pros, these immersive programs connect the classroom to the world stage—preparing artists to work anywhere their talent takes them.
About This Publication
Produced by Pace University's Division of University Relations, this award-winning digital publication is distributed to the Pace Community and friends of Pace University biannually. This deep dive was developed by a team of writers with the assistance of a custom GPT model using OpenAI’s ChatGPT. While the team collaborated on research, writing, and editing, they take collective responsibility for the final text. The views expressed do not necessarily represent those of Pace University.
Special thanks to everyone at the Sands College of Performing Arts for helping bring this publication to life.