"I look at the school, and anyone who tells you they don't is lying
to you," says producer Todd Black, who helped cast the Meryl Streep
film Hope Springs. "I'm gonna look much faster at a kid from a top
school than from the University of Southern North Dakota." To find
out which schools give the most bang for the buck, The Hollywood
Reporter polled Casting Society of America members and theater
insiders. Some schools were chosen for their illustrious alumni or
curriculum, but the bottom line is, these 25 schools offer the
entree it takes to get a job. As Felicity Huffman has said of the
"Tisch mafia" at her alma mater, NYU, "Without them, it is very
possible I wouldn't be a working actress today."
ACT | San Francisco
The big draw for MFA students at American Conservatory Theater is
the same thing that has drawn 7 million audience members to the
Tony-winning theater's shows: a resident company of top-notch
professional actors. It is part of those actors' job to mentor and
network for the MFA students. In turn, MFA students mentor kids in
the Young Conservatory program (YC alumni include Darren Criss,
Winona Ryder and Nicolas Cage). Students also audition for
real-world ACT productions -- and get cast.
Notable Alumni: Elizabeth Banks, Annette Bening, Delroy Lindo, Anna
Deavere Smith, Denzel Washington
THE ACTORS STUDIO, PACE UNIVERSITY | New York
"It is a sacred place," says Actors Studio Drama School alum
Bradley Cooper. Where else could he have gotten an MFA where
curriculum and faculty are chosen by Actors Studio Drama School
presidents Al Pacino, Harvey Keitel and Ellen Burstyn? Students
sharpen their gifts with the Stanislavski Method and get into
founder James Lipton's celebrated seminars. The school is
immortalized in a recent conversation on Fox's Glee between Finn
(Cory Monteith) and Rachel (Lea Michele). Finn: "What was that
acting school on Bravo with the swear words and the cool dude that
you made me watch?" Rachel: "James Lipton." Finn: "Yeah. … I want
to go to Inside the Actors Studio." Rachel: "It's just 'The Actors
Studio,' but that's great!" Casting directors agree.
Notable Alumni: Chris Stack, Xanthe Elbrick
CALARTS | Valencia, Calif.
Travis Preston, dean of the California Institute of the Arts School
of Theater, calls CalArts "the hub of a vast network of artistic
and professional relationships that traverses the globe." Students
get to work with the likes of the Wooster Group, Andre Gregory,
Magnetic Fields composer Stephin Merritt and avant-garde dramatist
Richard Foreman.
Notable Alumni: Don Cheadle, Ed Harris, Condola Rashad, Eliza
Coupe, Alison Brie, Katey Sagal
CARNEGIE MELLON | Pittsburgh
The most creative time in Zachary Quinto's life wasn't playing
Spock; it was learning the trade at Carnegie Mellon University. "It
was a four-year playground," he says. Adds alumna Holly Hunter: "I
loved to be able to take a script apart in purely technical terms
to learn about a character using this very pragmatic tool. That's
where I learned it." CMU grads have won six Oscars and 96
Emmys.
Notable Alumni: Ted Danson, Rob Marshall, Steven Bochco, Paula
Wagner, Patrick Wilson, John Wells
DEPAUL | Chicago
DePaul University benefits from being in what some consider the
nation's second-best theater town. The 6-to-1 student-faculty ratio
helps, too. "There's something in the water in Chicago," says
producer Laurence Mark. "It's a great place for actors, and so is
DePaul."
Notable Alumni: Gillian Anderson, Kevin Anderson, Judy Greer, Karl
Malden, Joe Mantegna, Elizabeth Perkins, John C. Reilly
FLORIDA STATE | Sarasota, Fla.
Why go to Sarasota to study theater? All 12 of the Florida State
University/Asolo Conservatory MFA candidates get a full tuition
waiver from Florida State University, an assistantship to defray
living expenses, a year's study in London, experience at the Asolo
Theater and Equity actor's union eligibility.
Notable Alumni: Paul Reubens
GUILDHALL SCHOOL OF MUSIC & DRAMA | London
In addition to living in one of the world's great theater cities,
Guildhall actors rub shoulders with up-and-coming musicians
(Jacqueline du Pre, James Galway). "Guildhall gives a broad
training -- it's not prescriptive," says alumnus Dominic West.
"We're able to be versatile." Downton Abbey's Michelle Dockery
says, "Getting in was like winning the lottery."
Notable Alumni: Daniel Craig, Ewan McGregor, Joseph Fiennes, Rhys
Ifans, Eileen Atkins, Orlando Bloom
THE JUILLIARD SCHOOL | New York
"Regardless of how painful, how challenging, how terrific, how
confusing it is," says alumna Laura Linney, "this school will
prepare you for just about anything." A major theater director
says, "In language skill and script analysis, no other grads are as
prepared. Juilliard actors somehow are more marketable -- the
first-round draft picks."
Notable Alumni: Viola Davis, Kevin Spacey, Robin Williams, Jessica
Chastain, Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, Kelsey Grammer
LONDON ACADEMY OF MUSIC AND DRAMATIC ARTS | London
Why does LAMDA look so good on your bio? Since 1861, its grads have
captured four Oscars, 16 Golden Globes, 36 Olivier Awards, 19
BAFTAs and 12 Tonys.
Notable Alumni: John Lithgow, Donald Sutherland, Jim Broadbent,
Brian Cox, Swoosie Kurtz
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DRAMATIC ART | Kensington, Australia
For the 4 percent of applicants who pass their audition for a spot
at NIDA, the odds of stardom soar. "I mean, I loved NIDA and hated
it," Mel Gibson says in a documentary about the school. "At times,
it was very frustrating and hard and depressing and all this kind
of stuff, but if you were prepared to stick with it, the rewards
were really good."
Notable Alumni: Cate Blanchett, Judy Davis, Baz Luhrmann, Hugo
Weaving
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY | Evanston, Ill.
Northwestern's vaunted undergraduate drama program puts acting in a
liberal-arts context. In 2011's commencement address, alumnus
Stephen Colbert said: "I loved being a theater major. It gave me an
excuse to brood, to grow a beard, to wear black at people. I didn't
want to play Hamlet, I wanted to be Hamlet."
Notable Alumni: Warren Beatty, Zach Braff, Seth Meyers,
Ann-Margret, David Schwimmer
TISCH SCHOOL OF THE ARTS AT NYU | New York
New York University's BFA and MFA programs would be great anywhere
-- but because they're in New York, NYU can give its students an
inside track to the big time. "When Mike Nichols revives Death of a
Salesman, NYU probably knows very early and knows who's casting,"
says one producer. "NYU actors are incredibly intelligent," adds a
regional theater director. "And my favorite physical actors are NYU
MFAs. The clowning curriculum is unbeatable."
Notable Alumni: Alec Baldwin, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Michael C.
Hall, Jeremy Piven
ROYAL ACADEMY OF DRAMATIC ART | London
Founded in 1904, RADA radiates a royal reputation. Some classes
involve one teacher and three students. The Beatles are famous
because their RADA-trained manager, Brian Epstein, taught them to
be dramatic. RADA can put talented nobodies on the radar.
Notable Alumni: Anthony Hopkins, Peter O'Toole, Joan Collins,
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Ralph Fiennes, Vivien Leigh, Mike Leigh
RUTGERS | New Brunswick, N.J.
The acting BFA program at Rutgers University accepts 9 percent of
applicants, who spend their third year at Shakespeare's Globe
Theatre in London. Both BFAs and MFAs do annual showcase
performances in New York.
Notable Alumni: Calista Flockhart, Sebastian Stan, James Tupper,
Kristin Davis
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK, PURCHASE | Purchase, N.Y.
The Conservatory of Theatre Arts BFA acting program at SUNY's
Purchase College is run by Gregory Taylor, an eminent film
scholar.
Notable Alumni: Edie Falco, Parker Posey, Stanley Tucci
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY | Syracuse, N.Y.
In 1978, says Syracuse drama professor Gerardine Clark, the BFA
program attracted 250 applicants. "Now we get 900 a year. Our grads
are noted for being sui generis." Aaron Sorkin started as Clark's
musical-theater student. The key to the program: student access to
the Syracuse Stage, a theater enticing 90,000 playgoers a
year.
Notable Alumni: Frank Langella, Taye Diggs
UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE | Newark, Del.
Students of Delaware's Professional Theatre Training Program get
tuition waivers and a $16,500 stipend. "It has only one class of
students at a time, and each gets full attention," says its
director, Sanford Robbins.
Notable Alumni: Tom Hewitt, Linda Balgord
UCLA | Los Angeles
UCLA BA and BFA drama students benefit by being at a red-hot center
of the study of film, TV, animation and digital media and close to
Hollywood. "The opportunity to attend performances on a world-class
level presented by UCLA Live [now known as the Center for the Art
of Performance at UCLA], Royce Hall, the Geffen Playhouse and the
Film and Television Archive provides a context that is exhilarating
for the study of theater," says theater department chair Michael
Hackett.
Notable Alumni: Tim Robbins, Eric Roth, Nicolas Cage, Jack
Black
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOL OF THE ARTS | Winston-Salem,
N.C.
Ex-New York Shakespeare Festival artistic director Gerald Freedman
has created an undergrad drama program where students get guest
instruction from the likes of Sam Waterston, Patrick Wilson and UNC
alums Mary-Louise Parker and Chris Parnell.
Notable Alumni: Joe Mantello, Tom Hulce
UC SAN DIEGO | San Diego
Home to the Tony-winning La Jolla Playhouse, San Diego is a
launchpad into the real world. "UCSD actors are the best
auditioners," says Seattle Repertory Theater artistic theater
director Jerry Manning.
Notable Alumni: Danny Burstein, James Avery
USC SCHOOL OF DRAMATIC ARTS | Los Angeles
"USC is in Hollywood's front yard," says alumnus Todd Black. "Its
acting students know they have to make a living, so they're trained
in TV, feature films, Internet work." Adds board member Laurence
Mark, "USC gives you the skills and confidence to be bold and take
informed risks."
Notable Alumni: Forest Whitaker, Swoosie Kurtz, Eric Stoltz, Kyra
Sedgwick
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN | Austin, Texas
UT acting students get a boost from Austin's famous film festival
and independent film scene.
Notable Alumni: Marcia Gay Harden
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON | Seattle
Half of Washington's Professional Actors program students find work
within a year of graduation (e.g., Kyle MacLachlan and his first
movie, Dune), and half are still performing 10 years after
graduation.
Notable Alumni: Jean Smart, Joel McHale, Pamela Reed, Rainn
Wilson
WESTERN AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF PERFORMING ARTS | Perth, Western
Australia
Actors put on 300 performances a year at WAAPA, and the experience
pays off. "I am totally indebted to WAAPA for [my] career," says
alum Hugh Jackman. "There is a genuine camaraderie. Acting is not a
solo sport."
Notable Alumni: Frances O'Connor
YALE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DRAMA | New Haven, Conn.
Generally considered the most prestigious U.S. drama school,
founded in 1924, it was dissed by one source as "posh and
uncommercial." Retorts Dean James Bundy, "The best advertisement
for Yale School of Drama is the breadth of its graduates'
distinguished achievement in every theatrical discipline." Also,
grad Sigourney Weaver's films have grossed more than $5 billion
worldwide. For art or commerce, no MFA is quite the calling card
that Yale's is.
Notable Alumni: Meryl Streep, Paul Giamatti, Paul Newman, Patricia
Clarkson, Frances McDormand