The New York City location in the former Colony Club building
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Type | Private conservatory |
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Established | 1884 |
Endowment | Approx $5 Million |
Academic staff
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25 |
Students | Approximately 220 New York Campus / Approximately 180 Los Angeles Campus |
Location |
New York City Los Angeles, United States |
Campus | Urban |
Colors | Gold and Black |
Affiliations | NAICU, MSA |
Website | www.aada.edu |
The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a two-year performing arts conservatory with bi-coastal facilities at 120 Madison Avenue, Manhattan, and at 1336 North La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles.
The oldest acting school in the English-speaking world, the Academy in New York City was founded in 1884 to train actors for the stage. Its first home was the original Lyceum Theatre on what is now Park Avenue South. In 1963, the school moved to its current home, a landmark building designed by noted architect Stanford White as the original Colony Club.
In 1974, the Academy opened another campus in Pasadena, California, which made it the only professional actor training school in both major centers of American entertainment. The Los Angeles campus moved from Pasadena to Hollywood in 2001 in a new building next to the site of the former studios of Charlie Chaplin.
The Academy remains dedicated to training professional actors. It offers a two-year program in which students have to be invited back for the second year. Auditions are held at the end of the second year for the third year company. As well as training for the theatre, it now offers courses in film and television, providing a structured, professionally-oriented program that stresses self discovery, self discipline and individuality. Students who graduate in New York receive an Associate of Occupational Studies degree; students who graduate in Hollywood receive a Certificate of Completion or an Associate of Arts degree in Acting. Students from New York and Los Angeles can get a Bachelor of Arts degree from selected universities.
Numerous students of the Academy have gone on to distinguished careers throughout the entertainment industry, receiving nominations for Tonys, Oscars and Emmys.