Zak Sandler
About
Hi, I'm Zak! I've been teaching singing and acting for 15 years, working with people of all backgrounds and skill levels, from novices up through Broadway actors - and I hope to add you to my roster next! In addition to helping you with singing technique, range, and audition prep, I can help you master the art of acting while singing - where the magic truly happens!
I have played piano on Broadway for Wicked for 7 years - that's a whole lot of Elphabas and Glindas! I've also played on Broadway for Mean Girls, Motown, and The Color Purple.
I live in Washington, DC, with my wife and 2 short-haired tabby cats. I also enjoy softball and golf, write my own musicals, and am an avid mental health advocate! I gave a TED Talk about the superpowers that come with mental health conditions like ADHD, Autism, and Bipolar, which you can find on YouTube!
Learn more about me on my website, zaksandler.com !
Teaching Style
At your first lesson, we'll talk about your goals - whether it's improving your acting, vocal technique, expanding your range, adding songs to your repertoire for auditions or concerts, or just to have fun! After that, we'll pick 2-3 pieces to work on. If you already have material, we will work on those! I love to let students guide the flow. I'm very flexible and patient and my priority will always be your growth and enjoyment of the craft.
Credentials & Affiliations
Zak graduated from Yale in 2008 with a B.A. in music composition, with his senior thesis being a musical theater adaptation of the movie Office Space. After a year as Associate Music Director at TONY-winning Signature Theatre in DC, he moved to NYC, where he played piano on Broadway for Wicked, Mean Girls, Motown, and The Color Purple. He left town frequently to music direct and conduct at theaters including the Kennedy Center, Dallas Theater Center, Goodspeed Opera, Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, and TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, CA. He also acted in some shows, including the Off-Broadway production of Marshall Pailet’s Triassic Parq, playing the Pianosaurs in this adaptation of Jurassic Parq.
Zak is also a composer/lyricist/bookwriter/screenwriter. He was a longtime member of the BMI Musical Theater Writer’s Workshop in NYC, as well as a composer at the Johnny Mercer Songwriter’s Project with Andrew Lippa and Craig Carnelia. His original work has been performed at Lincoln Center, The Public Theater, and The Kennedy Center. He also writes pop songs and arranges for his barbershop chorus, the Alexandria Harmonizers. His first screenplay, KSM on the Run, made the top 20% at the Austin Film Festival.
Zak is also a public speaker, having given a TED Talk, “Can Mental ‘Disorder’ Be a Superpower?” in Anchorage (over 100,000 views). He has shared his story about his experience with a mental health condition as the keynote speaker at the Iowa convention of NAMI (the National Alliance of Mental Illness), as well as many other galas, conferences, and school gatherings. In 2018, he won the Young Leader Award from NAMI NY State for leadership in mental health.