Consider enrolling in an acting school where you may study the performing arts with seasoned teachers and other aspiring actors if you’re a student hoping to start a career as a professional actor.
For aspiring actors, it is fortunate that numerous universities in both the United States and England offer degree programs in professional acting. But how do prospective students choose an acting school among the numerous possibilities available?
The following list of prominent institutions and universities can launch any performing career for aspirant students who want to pursue a career in theater, screen, or voice-over acting.
The education provided by these acting schools will not only make students better actors, but it will also give them the chance to connect with other aspiring actors and network with professionals in the acting and performing arts industries.
Many successful actors attend acting classes to launch their careers. Students can learn from top instructors while honing their acting abilities by following their example and emulating them.
Actors-in-training must carefully consider the distinctions between acting schools, what they offer and require, and how they will shape students into professional actors because acting schools build upon the inherent potential of their pupils.
The 10 Best Acting Schools in the World
Table of Contents
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (London, EN)
One of the oldest and most prestigious acting schools in the UK, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) is based in the heart of London and was established more than a century ago.
This academy has the history and reputation for anyone wishing to hone their acting skills in the active and exciting London acting industry. It offers programs in television, film, radio, and theater.
Five live performance theaters and one movie theater are located on the RADA campus, providing students with plenty of opportunities to demonstrate their developing acting abilities in front of educated and affluent London audiences. Additionally, the RADA offers students countless opportunities to work with other actors on stimulating and difficult performances.
If students are seeking for chances to perform for the Royal Family, RADA can be the ideal option.
Diana, Princess of Wales, served as the school’s president from 1989 to 1997, and Queen Elizabeth II is RADA’s Royal Patron. Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, and Vivian Leigh are a few other notable former students.
If students want the standard acting school experience in London, RADA might be the best choice. Similar to other prominent acting schools, the application procedure is stringent and involves several auditions spread out over several months.
The chance to be chosen for one of the fewer than 100 entrance places available each year is provided by this.
Northwestern University (Evanston, IL)
Northwestern University provides undergraduate degrees in dance, theater, and performance studies through its Department of Communications.
The theatre programs at Northwestern University are consistently regarded as one of the best performing arts programs in the country. They are packed with unique performance incubators and workshops focused on theater, dance, playwriting, and musical performance.
Due to Northwestern University’s proximity to Chicago, one of North America’s most cutting-edge theater performance cities, its students have unparalleled access to the city’s renowned acting and performing arts scene.
David Schwimmer, Stephen Colbert, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus are some notable former students.
Northwestern University is a great option for students who want to perfect their acting, directing, or playwriting skills in a lovely campus environment outside of one of the biggest and most diverse cities in the world.
USC School of Dramatic Arts (Los Angeles, CA)
You need look no further than the USC School of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles if your aim as a student is to study acting close to the heart of the Hollywood film industry.
The USC School of Dramatic Arts, a private drama school that is frequently named one of the greatest acting schools in the nation, can help you launch a career in stage performance, acting of all sorts, stage management, technical directing, and sound design.
This 1945-founded institution hosts more than 20 performances each year in four cutting-edge performance spaces, providing every student with a wealth of possibilities to develop as artists in their chosen field.
John Ritter, Leigh Allyn Baker, and LeVar Burton are a few notable former students.
UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television (Los Angeles, CA)
Consider a scenario where students wish to attend a prestigious university with a long history in their field of study in the Los Angeles area.
In that scenario, the best program available is at the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television.
This university, which opened its doors in 1947, was the first to combine the study of theater, film, and television into a single department. This pioneering mentality is still present today.
Only the Library of Congress has a larger collection of films and television than the UCLA Film & Television Archive. This implies that students who enroll here have access to the world’s largest selection of movies and television series. Acting, writing, directing, and other performance-based majors are available to students.
One of the best acting master’s programs in the world is offered by the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television for students looking to continue their education after completing their undergraduate studies.
Students will perform on some of the most legendary stages in the nation, including the Billy Wilder Theater and the Geffen Playhouse. Carol Brunett, Jack Black, Nancy Cartwright, and Francis Ford Coppola are just a few of the notable former students.
The David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University (New Haven, CT)
Students interested in a range of acting and performing areas should research this prestigious Ivy League institution.
The David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University, established in 1924, is one of the world’s most renowned and competitive acting programs. The school is the place to be for the best and brightest aspiring actors because it only accepts a small number of students each year.
The school was endowed in 2021 with a $150 million contribution from billionaire David Geffen, making tuition completely free for students accepted.
This institution in New Haven, Connecticut, is an excellent location to develop your talent and rub shoulders with the best young actors of your time whether you desire to pursue directing, writing, dance, or any other performing art in addition to acting. There are far too many notable graduates to list them all, but a few are Meryl Streep, Angela Bassett, Henry Winkler, and Lupita Nyong’o.
East 15 Acting School (Essex, EN)
East 15 Acting School, the top-ranked drama school in the UK, is a fantastic university choice for students looking for a British acting education outside of London.
Students are trained in acting, directing, stage design, and technical design at East 15 Acting School for acclaimed international stages.
East 15 Acting School offers students the chance to study with some of the top acting instructors in the world thanks to its illustrious roster of foreign acting instructors.
This institution, which had fewer than 1000 students at the time of publishing, is both big enough to stage important and creative plays and small enough to give classes and workshops a personal feel.
Arsher Ali, Alan Ford, and Elizabeth Henstridge are just a few of the notable former students.
NYU Tisch School of the Arts (New York, NY)
Students should seriously consider enrolling at the NYU Tisch School of the Arts in New York City if working on Broadway is their ultimate aim.
Tisch, as it is sometimes referred as, was established in 1965 and serves as a gathering place for budding authors, actors, and stage performers of all kinds. It’s just icing on the cake that your educational experience will take place against the backdrop of New York City.
There may not be a better school to develop your skills and make contacts than this one if students want to find their way into a Broadway profession. In 2016, Tisch had more active graduates working on Broadway than any other acting school.
Family names like Angelina Jolie, Joel Coen, Spike Lee, Alec Baldwin, Ang Lee, Martin Scorcese, and Whoopi Goldberg are among the notable alumni.
London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (London, EN)
The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art was established in 1861 and is the country’s first institution of its sort.
This academy, which is situated in West London’s Hammersmith neighborhood, provides dedicated aspiring student actors with the chance to study speech, drama, communication, and performance in a prestigious environment with some of the best and brightest young actors in the world. Three performing theaters and a large number of workshop spaces are available at the academy.
Given that Benedict Cumberbatch is the Board of Trustees’ current president, you can be confident that this academy is a demanding school for young actors who are ambitious and aspiring. The aforementioned Cumberbatch, David Oyelowo, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Ruth Wilson are notable alumni.
The Juilliard School (New York, NY)
The Juilliard School, one of the top performing arts colleges in the entire US, provides ambitious and dedicated young actors with a demanding and prestigious educational environment.
Juilliard is a highly rigorous institution that offers degree programs in dance, music, and theater. All applicants must perform in-person auditions as part of the admissions process.
The Juilliard School was established in 1905 and is situated in the center of Manhattan, New York. The fact that Jullianrd is located in a renowned metropolis like New York gives students access to the vital performing arts sector.
Even better, students can enroll in a dual degree program offered by Columbia University and Juilliard, earning degrees from both schools.
Carnegie-Mellon School of Drama (Pittsburgh, PA)
The Carnegie-Mellon School of Drama, which has one of the best-performing arts programs in the world, stands apart from other universities due to its distinguished history, high standard of instruction, and idyllic location.
Three cutting-edge performance theaters, including the John Wells Video Studio, a sound studio intended for television shows, and numerous more performance spaces are available to students.
Along with every other aspect of dramatic performance, such as stage design, writing, and directing, students can study acting performance.
Students can also take part in a special study abroad program where they will study abroad alongside students from around the world who are majoring in performance. Holly Hunter, Leslie Odom Jr., Renée Elise Goldsberry, and Josh Gad are notable former students.
I’ve been surfing on-line more than 3 hours today, but I never discovered any fascinating article like yours. It is lovely value enough for me. In my view, if all site owners and bloggers made just right content as you probably did, the net will probably be a lot more useful than ever before. “We are not retreating – we are advancing in another Direction.” by Douglas MacArthur.