New York University's Tisch School of the Arts offers acting students the unique opportunity of training right in the middle of the theater capital of the country. The program is best known for its graduate acting program which has turned out famous actor such as Rainn Wilson and Jesse L. Martin and the Oscar winning directors Oliver Stone and Martin Scorsese. Undergraduate alumni include Marisa Tomei, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Felicity Huffman.
Ever since 1965, the school has offered extensive training in both stage acting and film acting and offers bachelor degrees, masters degrees and doctorates. Students wishing to attend Tisch must audition whether they are pursuing a BFA, MFA or PhD and the school recommends students gain as much experience before the audition. The main buildings of the school are located in the East Village at the heart of of New York's gritty arts section.
New York University
Tisch School of the Arts
721 Broadway
New York, NY 10003
212-998-1800
tisch.nyu.edu
With an impressive alumni roster including Ted Danson, Aaron Staton, Stephen Schwartz and Holly Hunter, Carnegie Mellon's School of Drama is considered one of the heavyweights in acting training at the collegiate level. The acting program is a conservatory-based training regimen, which focuses less on a liberal arts background. This type of program created in 1914 was the first of its kind in a university in the country and offers a BFA degree in either acting or musical theater.
All prospective students must audition for the program in front of a panel made up of faculty members. The school accepts roughly 12 students per year, although over 200 students make up the seven total programs within the school including directing and design.
Carnegie Mellon University is located in the Oakland and Shadyside neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
School of Drama
Purnell Center for the Arts #218
Carnegie Mellon University
4908 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
412-268-2407
cmu.edu/cfa/drama
With competitive and nationally renowned programs in dance, theater, music theater and music, the University of Michigan graduates top talent every year. The faculty is made up of seasoned performers, but acts as a resident faculty. The school averages 10 students for every professor. Students wishing to be accepted into the program must audition in front of a panel made up of professors and administrators. The school offers both bachelor and masters degrees.
Many of the schools graduates of the program find incredible success on the stage with roles in major Broadways shows and major national touring productions. The school boasts two Tony award nominees, Hunter Foster and Sutton Foster, as alumni. Alumni also perform with major companies such as the Old Globe, National Shakespeare Company, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
The school produces more than 400 performances a year including stage productions, concerts and recitals, giving students ample opportunities throughout the year. The University of Michigan resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
University of Michigan
School of Music, Theatre & Dance
E.V. Moore Building
1100 Baits Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
734-764-0583
music.umich.edu