New voiceover, camera-acting drama classes are perfect for online format

BC Assistant Professor and Director of Drama Michael McIntosh

With social distancing and other precautions currently in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the BC Drama Department will be unable to hold its usual in-person classes in the Fall 2020 semester. But that isn’t stopping new Assistant Professor and Director of Drama Michael McIntosh from finding interesting and unique classes for his drama students.

“This is a unique and exciting opportunity,” McIntosh said about the upcoming semester. “It is giving us a chance to work on things we aren’t always able to work on in a college class, such as acting on film, acting in voiceovers, doing film auditions and other opportunities.

“In terms of classes, we can use the fact that we can’t be together as a group, exploit it and create new and different learning experiences,” he added. “The best thing to do is to embrace it.”

Two of his classes taking full advantage of the online medium are “Beginning Acting” and “Voice for the Actor.”

Both classes are being offered as Scheduled Live Online courses, meaning students will assemble online at a particular time and will have immediate interaction with McIntosh, as well as other students. It’s about as close as one can get to an in-person class while being online.

In the “Beginning Acting” class, students will develop an understanding of the acting process, including character and script analysis, ensemble work, camera angles, auditioning and resources for a truthful performance. 

“There are many myths about acting on film, as opposed to acting for the theater,” McIntosh said. “There is a craft and a technique that goes into acting for film and, with this class, students will get to practice it every single day.”

In the “Voice for the Actor” course, students will shift their focus to voice acting and other skills, such as audiobooks, animation, character voices, commercials, industrial films, strategies to book voiceover work and even some Shakespeare. Exercises will also be taught in awareness, relaxation, freedom, flexibility and expressiveness in your voice.

While McIntosh is looking forward to both of these classes, he’s particularly excited about them being offered in an online format.

“These fit great as online classes,” he said. “The learning for both classes is on the camera. If it was in person, we’d just be looking at the camera, so it’s natural to just move them online.”

“Beginning Acting” is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, while “Voice for the Actor” will be held 1 to 2:15 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays.

The Fall 2020 semester will be the first for McIntosh, who is taking over the department from the retired Dana Andersen-Wyman.

McIntosh has directed and acted throughout the world. His award-winning work has been seen in New York City at the New York Musical Festival, Playwrights Horizons, The York Theatre and The Gallery Players, among other venues. He has worked on a multitude of productions in Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, California, Chicago, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Beirut, Lebanon. McIntosh recently directed “An American Hero” Off-Broadway at the prestigious New York Musical Festival, winning Best of Festival.

McIntosh’s students have seen success on and off-Broadway, in national and world tours, on cruise ships, and in regional theatres. He has been commended for excellence in Directing by the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. 

Brazosport College is currently registering for the Fall 2020 semester.

For more information, visit www.brazosport.edu/choose or call (979) 230-3000. To learn more about Brazosport College’s plans for the Fall semester, visit www.brazosport.edu/BacktoBC. Fall classes at Brazosport College begin Aug. 24.