For more than 30 years, JASA NextAct (formerly Sundays at JASA) has offered college-level continuing education for seniors. The program has evolved to include virtual courses, serving students nationwide and abroad. And now NextAct offers cultural excursions for seniors throughout the city! We believe that learning continues throughout a lifetime.
NextAct is excited to announce that in-person classes will be held at The Loyola School on 980 Park Ave. (entrance on 83rd Street) in New York City. Featuring state-of-the-art classrooms and common spaces, we’re excited to welcome you to our new home.
The Opera Companion
10:00am - 11:55am Instructor: Jane Marsh
Join internationally acclaimed opera diva Jane Marsh as she presents Opera Companion lectures in the JASA NextAct Spring 2026 season. These lectures will showcase operas from the
Met’s opera season and beyond, with focus on items of poetry and literature emulated through musical composition. You do not have to have musical training to enjoy these presentations.
Art in the City
10:00am–11:00amInstructor:PamelaKoehler
New York City contains an amazing variety of museums, galleries, architecture, historic houses, and public art. Discover the latest exhibitions and explore both familiar and lesser known treasures from different parts of the city.
The Cinematic Century
10:30am-12:00pmInstructor:MaxAlvarez
Sometimes cinematic miracles occur in the form of movie stars or directors. Sometimes the miracles result from the craftspeople behind the scenes whose towering achievements
are often taken for granted by moviegoers. Astonishing results can also occur when disparate artistic disciplines join forces in front of film cameras or when an artistic movement is in full force. Join film historian Max Alvarez, a filmmaker and frequent Smithsonian Institution visiting scholar, for this electrifying semester honoring the art, craft, and brilliance of our great cinematic 20th century. Max’s 90-minute sessions include rare archival materials and bountiful film selections destined to mesmerize and enthrall cinéphiles. Program subject to change.
11:00am - 12:00pm Instructor: Bill Hughes
Overwhelmed by the fast and furious pace of news and current events? Join veteran journalist and self-diagnosed news junkie Bill Hughes and your fellow JASA attendees to help
b and make sense of it all as best we can. While this class examines the major breaking news stories of the week, we also strive to emphasize the quirky, positive and under-reported stories from around the world. Guest speakers will include political reporters, authors, news photographers and documentary filmmakers.
12:00pm – 2:00pm Instructor: Amanda Brown
Join us for a fun and stimulating game of American Mah Jongg. In this course for beginners and experienced players, Amanda Brown will guide you through the fundamentals of the game if
needed, including tile recognition, game setup, understanding the National Mah Jongg League (NMJL) card, and basic strategies. Through hands-on, guided play, you’ll gradually build your confidence and knowledge while enjoying the social and lively spirit of Mah Jongg. By the end of the course, you’ll be ready to join a game with ease and enthusiasm. Experienced players are able to engage in free play. Students are welcome to bring lunch. Let’s crack the tiles and get playing! **Please note that cards are not included with registration**
Food for Thought: Winston Churchill and FDR
12:15pm – 1:10pm (5 sessions)
Instructor: Doug Brin
Two of the 20th century's most iconic political luminaries that changed the trajectory of world politics and its respective
governments. Titans of the world stage, each of their own right, that injected new energy and hope into the world at pivotal moments in world history. Doug Brin will discuss these legendary figures in the context of their lives being revaluated. Students are encouraged to bring lunch and enjoy Doug’s entertaining stories of their great moments in history.
1:15pm – 2:30pm Instructor: Alexander Pichugin
What exactly is language? Do humans truly have a unique form of communication – or do animals and modern technologies
have “languages” of their own? This course invites participants to explore these and many other fascinating questions. We will look at where languages come from, how they function, how they change over time, and what they reveal about human societies. Along the way, we will meet influential thinkers such as Ferdinand de Saussure, B. F. Skinner, and Noam Chomsky, whose ideas have shaped modern understanding of language structure, behavior, and universal principles.
Designed for curious learners from all backgrounds, the course takes an accessible interdisciplinary approach, drawing on history, culture, and linguistics. No prior knowledge is required – just an interest in how humans communicate.
1:15pm – 2:45pm Instructor: Lars Rosager
This course focuses on acquiring a general knowledge of dance history from its beginnings to contemporary times. Participants are encouraged to think critically about social and
c rs affecting stylistic developments in dance history, such as g conomics, fashion, politics, and technology. We will look at the dance cultures of ancient civilizations such as the Egyptians and Greeks, and we will explore different dance genres, including indigenous dance, folk dance, court dance, ballet, modern, tap, jazz, and Broadway dance. We will include an (optional) movement study segment on our feet relating to the topics discussed in that day’s class.
e U.S. Supreme Court: en Law and Politics Collide
00am - 11:15am Instructor: Leora Harpaz
course will examine the Supreme Court’s recent actions in areas of political significance. During the 2025-26 Supreme
Court Term, those cases include subjects including transgender rights, tariffs, the scope of presidential power over independent administrative agencies, & possibly birthright citizenship. Other important cases before the Court involve redistricting, election financing, and gun rights. In addition to cases on the Court’s regular docket, the Court has decided many cases that came to the Court as emergency applications - these cases will also be discussed, as will any major cases added to the docket during the 2026-2027 Term.
11:30am - 12:45pm Instructor: Jennifer Gilchrist
New York is a city of millions of stories of hope, dreams, romance, fear, anger, despair, luck, creativity, humor, and resilience. What better setting for the literary short story? With New York Short Stories
an emphasis on perspective and internal logic, we read and analyze short works of character study, bildungsroman, irony, romance, blighted romance, suspense, family drama, friend drama, social realism, and fable by diverse New Yorkers such as Lore Segal, Imbolo Mbue, Lisa Ko, Jennifer Egan, John Cheever, Lydia Davis, William Denby, Aurora Huiza, Jessie Redmond Faucet, and Jonathan Safran Foer.
00pm – 2:15pm Instructor: Leo Schaff
ne of Shakespeare’s most enduring comic plays. “Some are orn great/ some achieve greatness/ and some have greatness thrust upon ‘em!” The great festive comedy of hakespeare: “Much Ado About Nothing”
mischief, romance, tomfoolery, and reunion. Join Leo Schaff as he scans each line of text to provide clarity and intention for some of Shakespeare’s most lovable characters, such as Viola, Olivia, Orsino, Malvolio, Feste the Clown and Sir Toby Belch. ”If music be the food of love, play on!”
2:15pm - 3:30pm Instructor: Leo Schaff
This course calls on writers of all stripes, persuasions, and experiences. Memoirs, poetry, short stories, song lyrics, and letters to the editor are all welcome. Find inspiration through
art, music, current events, or simply hearing each other’s work. Writers are helped through writing prompts to help guide topics if needed. When it comes to writing, everything is on the table.
3:45pm - 5:00pm Instructor: Chloe Zimmerman
Our explorations in this interdisciplinary poetry workshop will center around correspondence and interconnection. We'll tend to the ways we are always in relation — to loved ones,
ancestors, heroes, strangers, places and landscapes, and all the beings we live alongside — and that we are never really creating alone. We will consider poetry on and off the page, looking at the writing, art, film, performance, sonic experiments, and collaborations of others. Inspired by this work, we will explore our own inclinations through weekly writing prompts and meditations. Together, we will ask: who and what are we in conversation with in each of our own lives? How might this take shape in poetic form?
Theater in Practice: “Death of A Salesman”
0:00am – 11:15am Instructor: Joe George
A modern day classic brought to life with deep analysis and a hared reading experience, “Death of A Salesman” tells the tory of Willy Loman and his struggle to find his place in a
Arthur Miller’s tragic tale deeply rooted in American values, nta r as new ideas and methods take hold in a capitalist s ed: “I believe the common man is as apt a subject for tra e as kings were.” From Orestes, to Hamlet, Medea to M struggle is that of the individual attempting to gain h society.
This variety of wellness practices tailo r adults. We'll delve into the impo vity, mindful movement, nutrition,
stress management connection for overall well-being. Participants will lear ategies to incorporate these practices into their eir quality of life and fostering a sense of vitality.
“My classes on the Supreme Court and current events were fascinating and interesting.” - Marion
The Broadway Musical: Let the Show Begin!
1:00pm - 2:15pm Instructor: Kim Breden
This 10 session zoom class will examine and celebrate some of Broadway's best-loved musicals starting with the 1920s up to the 1960s. Through the use of live performance videos, sound
recordings, still photographs and historical lecture, participants will enjoy a deeper look into the synopses, original cast members, performance details as well as information about the composers and lyricists of these musical treasures. This class will also offer the opportunity to listen to an array of showtune favorites and perhaps join in a singalong.
2:30pm - 3:45pm Instructor: Greg Canada
One of the most important philosophy titles published in the twentieth century, Josef Pieper's “Leisure, The Basis of Culture,” is more significant, even more crucial, today than it
was when it first appeared more than fifty years ago. Pieper argues that true leisure is the foundation of culture, defining it not as idleness but as an inward state of calm and celebration essential for human flourishing. He contrasts this with the modern "total work" mentality, which he believes has devalued leisure and created a culture focused solely on productivity. In this course, we will carefully explore the nature of Pieper’s arguments and learn why he advocates reclaiming leisure as a spiritual and intellectual attitude that allows for contemplation and worship, which he sees as the source of true culture.
4:00pm - 5:15pm Instructor: Natan Last
Learn the principles of crossword puzzle construction through basic history, determining a theme, making a usable grid, and creating the fill. A group puzzle will be submitted to the New
York Times. More than twenty puzzles have been featured in the Times thus far! Will Shortz has hailed this class as “one of a kind.”
Registration is capped at 25 students.
New York Transit Museum
Thursday, March 12, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Judd Foundation*
Tuesday, March 17, 11:00am - 12:00pm
NYU Grey Art Museum
Tuesday, March 24, 11:15am - 12:30pm
The New York Historical Society
Tuesday, March 31, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Jewish Theological Seminary Rare Book Room
Tuesday, April 7, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Dyckman Farmhouse Museum*
Tuesday, April 21, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site
Thursday, April 30, 10:00am - 11:00am
M&S Schmalberg Flowers
Thursday, May 7, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Walking Tour - The Complete Lower East Side
Thursday, May 14, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Brooklyn Seltzer Museum
Tuesday, May 19, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
*Non-accessible venues marked with an
New York Transit Museum
Thursday, March 12, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
treasure trove for transit buffs and curious visitors alike, the ew York Transit Museum offers a one-of-a-kind experience you won’t find anywhere else. Founded in 1976, the Museum is dedicated to preserving and sharing the stories of New York’s mass transportation. Located underground in a decommissioned 1936 subway station in Brooklyn, the Museum’s platform level spans a full city block and features a rotating selection of twenty vintage subway and elevated cars, some dating back to 1904.
udd Foundation uesday, March 17, 11:00am - 12:00pm
udd Foundation maintains and preserves Donald Judd’s ermanently installed living and working spaces, libraries, and archives in New York and Marfa, Texas. The Foundation promotes a wider understanding of Judd’s artistic legacy by providing access to these spaces and resources and by developing scholarly and educational programs. Explore his SOHO home and its treasures.
NYU Grey Art Museum
Tuesday, March 24, 11:15am - 12:30pm
The Grey Art Museum is New York University’s fine arts museum. The Grey Art Museum functions to collect, preserve, study, document, interpret, and exhibit the evidence of human culture.
We will explore Irriṯitja Kuwarri Tjungu: Contemporary Aboriginal Painting from the Australian Desert is the first U.S. exhibition to survey Australia’s most globally recognized Aboriginal art movement. For the past five decades, Papunya Tula Artists—the oldest Aboriginal-owned arts organization in Australia —has stood at the forefront of contemporary Aboriginal art, producing some of the most iconic art and artists in Australian history.
New York Historical Society
sday, March 31, 11:00am - 12:00pm
York’s first museum, The New York Historical Society, is a g cultural institution documenting over 400 years of American history through a peerless collection of art, documents, and artifacts. Offerings span groundbreaking exhibitions; acclaimed educational programs for teachers and students nationwide; and thought-provoking conversations among leading scholars, journalists, and thinkers about the past, present, and future of the American experiment. The New York Historical Society is a museum of museums and a collection of collections. They elevate the perspectives and scholarship that define the United States’ democratic heritage and challenge us all to shape our ongoing history for the better.
Tuesday,April7,2:00pm-3:00pm
The JTS Library’s Special Collections are world-class. With the argest collection of Hebrew manuscripts on earth, the most complete collection of early Hebrew printed books (incunables), 43,000 fragments from the Cairo Genizah, and much more, there are few collections that offer students, scholars, and visitors material of such quality, depth, and breadth.
Dyckman Farmhouse Museum
Tuesday, April 21, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Visit the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum for a unique glimpse into Manhattan's rural past. It's the oldest farmhouse in Manhattan, built in 1784, offering a tangible link to the city's agrarian roots before it became a metropolis. The Dyckman is the city's only remaining Dutch Colonial farmhouse, showcasing New York history, including colonial life, Revolutionary War history, Dutch heritage through artifacts and architecture, and the plight of enslaved peoples. It also features a half-acre garden, a surprising natural retreat in the city.
Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace
National Historic Site
Thursday, April 30, 10:00am - 11:00am
Theodore Roosevelt's birthplace, located in Manhattan, is a National Historic Site in the Gramercy Park area that is a 1923
M&S Schmalberg Flowers hursday, May 7, 11:00am - 12:00pm
xperience the magic behind each bloom with a behind-thecenes tour of our historic atelier. From century-old cutting molds to hand-assembled petals, you’ll witness the
craftsmanship that has made M&S Schmalberg a living legacy in the fashion w reconstruction of the original 1848 townhouse. Rebuilt after the original was demolished, the exterior was designed to match the original brownstone structure, while the interior is a meticulously furnished replica with five period rooms and many original Roosevelt family items to recreate the atmosphere of the 1860s. Beyond the period rooms, the site includes museum galleries with exhibits on Roosevelt's legacy, a library, an auditorium, and a gift shop. The reconstruction was undertaken by the Women's Roosevelt Memorial Association and is considered an early example of historic preservation in the United States. It is the only presidential birthplace that has been rebuilt.
Walking Tour- The Complete Lower East Side
Thursday, May 14, 11:00am - 12:00pm
The Lower East Side of Manhattan is a neighborhood that has embodied the hopes and struggles of generations of newcomers to America. Since the mid-19th century,
It is the place where hundreds of thousands of immigrants have taken their first steps on the road to the American dream. It is a section of the city that was once home to Africans freed from slavery, followed by Irish, German, Southern Italian, Eastern European and Jewish immigrants fleeing from starvation, political turmoil, oppression and economic deprivation.
Brooklyn Seltzer Museum
Tuesday, May 19, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
The Brooklyn Seltzer Museum is dedicated to preserving and promoting the effervescent history of seltzer water. Located in the oldest seltzer works in New York City, the museum is part of Manhattan’s Lower East Side has been a magnet drawing people from all around the globe.
Learn about the history and today where a trendy young population is moving into the area, opening yet another chapter in the story of the Lower East Side. a local, family-run business now in its fourth generation. Join us for a Museum and Factory Tour that celebrates the manufacturing of seltzer, the science of seltzer, and seltzer as a cultural force in New York City and the world beyond. The museum is unique and quirky, both interactive and inspiring, inside an active factory (Brooklyn Seltzer Boys) manufacturing a sustainable local product. Guided tours and exhibits are educational, covering 2,400 years of business and cultural history.
Sundays(In-PersonCourses)
10:00am-11:55amTheOperaCompanion(Instructor:JaneMarsh)
10:00am-11:00amArtAppreciation (Instructor:PamKoehler)
10:30am-12:00pmTheCinematicCentury:ACelebrationofFilmmakingGenius (Instructor:MaxAlvarez)
11:00am-12:00pmWhatJustHappened?TheNewsToday (Instructor:BillHughes)
12:00pm–2:00pmAfternoonMahJongg:FreePlay(Instructor:AmandaBrown)
12:15pm–1:10pmFoodforThought:WinstonChurchillandFDR(5Sessions) (Instructor:DougBrin)
1:15pm–2:45pmTheNatureofLanguage:HowWeCommunicateandWhy (Instructor:AlexanderPichugin)
1:15pm–2:45pmDancingHistoryThroughtheAges (Instructor:LarsRosager)
Mondays(VirtualCourses)
10:00am-11:15amTheU.S.SupremeCourt:LawandPoliticsCollide (Instructor:LeoraHarpaz)
11:30am-12:45pmNewYorkShortStories(Instructor:JenniferGilchrist)
1:00pm-2:15pmShakespeare:“MuchAdoAboutNothing” (Instructor:LeoSchaff)
2:30pm-3:30pmCreativeWriting(Instructor:LeoSchaff)
3:45pm-5:00pmPoeticsofRelation(Instructor:ChloeZimmerman)
Wednesdays(VirtualCourses)
10:00am-11:15amTheaterinPractice:“DeathofASalesman” (Instructor:JoeGeorge)
11:30am-12:15pmLivingWell:TheBodyandMind (Instructor:JenniferMonness)
1:00pm-2:15pmTheBroadwayMusical:LettheShowBegin! (Instructor:KimBreden)
2:30pm-3:45pmLeisure:TheBasisofCulture(Instructor:GregCanada)
4:00pm-5:15pmGetAClue!CrosswordConstruction(Instructor:NatanLast)
No Classes April 1-8, May 3, or May 24