New York Acting Schools

Looking for good New York acting schools? Just browse our detailed listings of NYC acting schools below to find the perfect New York acting class for you.

Here you'll find all the information you need to choose where to study to become an actor in New York. Each NY acting school listing below includes detailed information such as acting methods taught, performance opportunities, career preparation, degree earned, tuition fees and financial aid opportunities. You can also find out how to apply for these different acting schools in New York as well as what are your chances of being accepted into each program.

Featured Sponsored New York Acting Schools

The American Musical and Dramatic Academy
(AMDA)
211 West 61st Street
New York, NY 10023

AMDA is one of the acting schools in NYC better known for musical theatre and Broadway acting. Located next to the Lincoln Center and Central Park, the conservatory offers two 4-semester programs, the Integrated Program (which combines acting classes with singing and dance) and the Studio Program (which focuses on acting for stage, film & TV). Classes include acting and scene study, voice and speech, singing, dance, and acting for film & TV. Depending on the program, actors may also study movement and stage combat, improvisation, classic texts, Shakespeare, music, sight-singing and musical theatre, as well as ballet, jazz, tap dancing and musical theater in film.

Performance opportunities: Students participate in a Performing Arts Practicum each semester. Second-year students work with a director on a performance presented at the NYC acting school's Off-Off-Broadway theatre.

Career preparation: Graduating students participate in 2 showcases. Actors attend career preparation seminars with agents or casting directors and prepare audition material through a series of audition classes and workshops.

Degree: Actors who complete either program receive a Certificate in Professional Performance Training. The school also offers a BFA in acting and a BFA in musical theater but students have to transfer to Los Angeles to complete the BFA.

Tuition Fee: Contact AMDA for details.

Financial Aid: Scholarships and loan programs are available, as well as on-campus employment.

What you'll need to apply: Transcripts, 2 recommendation forms, an audition (auditions are held at the NYC acting school and throughout the country, as well as in Mexico, Canada and the UK. Foreign students can submit a taped audition). International students from non-English speaking countries need to submit TOEFL scores and may have to take another fluency test. Admission into the second year is by invitation only.

Acceptance rate: About 1 in 2 applicants who audition are accepted.

Audition policy:Students are not allowed to audition for acting work until the last semester.

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Five Towns College (FTC)
305 North Service Road
Dix Hills
Long Island, NY 11746

This is one of the New York acting schools that offers a BFA in Theater, rather then a BA, which means more theater training. Classes include acting, singing, dance, movement (Grotowski, Laban), stage combat, theatre history, design and management. Show Business Magazine named this New York acting school one of the top 30 schools on the East Coast to study theater. The low student to teacher ratio allows actors in training to get personalized attention and grow.

Performance opportunities: Students get several opportunities to participate in live productions at the school's fully equipped 500 seat theater, The Dix Hills Center for the Performing Arts.

Career preparation: A lot of the teachers are theater professionals who work in Manhattan, so students can prepare for a professional career.

Degree: BFA in Theater Arts.

Tuition Fee: Contact FTC for details.

Financial Aid: Federal, state and private grants are available, as well as scholarships and loans. Those who audition for the theater program will be considered for a theater scholarship. Almost three quarters of students receive some financial aid.

What you'll need to apply: Application and fee, transcripts, personal statement, test scores, 2 letters of recommendation, headshot (or snapshot) and resume, and an audition that includes acting, singing and dancing to show your potential.

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Why Choose a New York Acting School?

Acting schools in New York have the advantage of being located in the biggest theater town in the country. Theater students often have access to discounted tickets to Broadway and Off-Broadway plays. New York's rich Off-Off-Broadway scene offers countless opportunities to audition for productions in black box theaters as you start your acting career.

New York is a good place to study acting if you want to be a stage actor or Broadway actor. Actually, even if your long term plans are to make it in Hollywood, studying in the Big Apple is a good idea. Strong New York theater credits make a good impression on your resume, including among casting directors on the West Coast.

That being said, living in New York is expensive and competition is fierce. It's not unusual to wait all day long to perform at an Equity open call here. The first few serious stage credits on your resume are the hardest to get, so some actors find it easier to launch their acting career in a smaller town with a good theater scene and move to New York once they have a few credits on their resume.

If you already know the name of the acting school you are interested in, just type it in the search box below to see if it is one of the New York acting schools listed on our site:

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New York Acting Schools

Click on the links below to read detailed information on each of these New York acting schools.

Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute This is the acting school in New York to go to if you are particularly interested in studying The Method developed by Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio....

Primary Stages Einhorn School of Performing Arts (ESPA) Classes at this New York acting school include scene study (contemporary and playwright-specific), auditioning technique, the contemporary monologue, musical ...

Stonestreet Screen Acting Studios This new york film acting school focuses on teaching the art and craft of screen acting as its own artform so actors can excel in front of the camera.

The ...

ACTeen - Acting for Teens This New York teen acting school has a long list of successful alumni that have performed on TV, film and Broadway, including Gillian Zinser ( 90210 ), Katelyn ...

The Negro Ensemble Company Started in 1967, The Negro Ensemble Company is one of the oldest most prestigious black theatre companies in the world. The Negro Ensemble Company's ...

The Barrow Group The Barrow Group, an award-winning theater company, offers acting, directing, and youth classes at its New York Acting School.

Classes range from Acting ...

Queens College Department of Drama, Theater and Dance This is one of the New York acting schools that offers a strong foundation for those who want to pursue graduate studies in acting or other theater fields ...

Acting Center of NY This acting and drama therapy school featured on the Ali G show offers a 10 session program that helps students combat stage fright while training. Classes ...

Maria Riboli Acting Classes Champion Studios Award-winning actress and director Maria Riboli teaches Method Acting and other techniques at her New York acting classes in Midtown Manhattan.

Students ...

The Juilliard School The Drama Division at Julliard is one of the most prestigious undergraduate drama programs among New York acting schools. Theater students benefit from ...

Atlantic Acting School This renowned New York acting school affiliated with the Atlantic Theater Company was founded by playwright David Mamet and actor William H. Macy when ...

The New School for Drama This acting school in New York offers a 3-year acting training in NYC based on the Alexander and Stanislavski techniques.
Performance opportunities:...

Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Acting Program This 3-year intensive conservatory program is a part of New York University. The first year focuses on Alexander technique and freeing the actor's instrument ...

Tisch School of the Arts Drama Department The undergraduate drama program of New York University combines actor training with theatre studies. Students study their craft 3 days of week in a studio ...

New York Film Academy (NYFA) This is the place to find NYC acting classes focused on film acting. This acting school in New York City offers a one-year intensive acting program and ...

The American Academy of Dramatic Arts Over the 125 years this NY acting school has been around, it has trained numerous actors who went on to win Oscars, Tony awards and Emmy awards. The long ...

The Stella Adler Studio of Acting This acting class in New York embraces Stella Adler's conviction that growth as an actor and as an individual go hand in hand.

The faculty strives ...

The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts Here you'll find acting classes in New York that focus on acting for film and television. Julia Roberts and Matt Fox are among the alumni. During two years,...

Michael Howard Studios This acting school in New York offers a one-year conservatory program. The acting training is inspired by many school of thoughts with the belief that ...

HB Studio At this acting school in NY, renowned actor-director Herbert Berghof and his wife, the legendary actress Uta Hagen, trained many award-winning actors, including ...

Columbia University School of the Arts This New York acting school offers an MFA in Acting. The 3-year program functions as a working lab. Classes during the first 2 years include theater history ...

Pace University This college offers a bachelor's degree in acting. Classes include Acting, Voice and Speech, Acting for Film and Television, the Business of Acting, Production ...

Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre This prestigious acting school located in midtown Manhattan has trained many famous actors, including Gregory Peck and Steve McQueen. The 2-year program ...

Whole Body Acting Cheryl King, who was acting coach at "All My Children", ABC's award-winning daytime drama, from 2007-2010, teaches this Wed afternoon acting class at Stage ...

Circle in the Square Theatre School This non-profit acting school in NYC offers a 2-year professional acting workshop and a 2-year musical theatre workshop.

Performance opportunities:...

Actors Studio Drama School Of all the acting schools in NYC, this is the only theatre program officially sanctioned by the Actors Studio, whose select membership has won numerous ...

The Studio / New York This New York acting studio is a place for working theater professionals to flex their acting muscles and stretch their boundaries artistically in a safe ...

Rising Sun Apprentice Program This New York Performance Company offers a 6 month Apprentice Program for Actors (as well as Directors, Designers, Playwrights & Stage Managers) grounded ...

Wondering which school to pick?

With so many New York acting schools to choose from, how do you pick the right acting school for you? Click here for a list of things to consider when looking for the perfect place to study acting.

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