what colleges have good drama/theater programs ?

There are some great suggestions in this thread. For example, several schools have been mentioned known for decades of professional training in their programs. Julliard, NYU, Carnegie-Mellon, Yale, and the University of Washington are some of what used to be known as the League of Professional Schools. I attended one, SMU, and that fact still turns heads when I audition. The training has served me well and continues to serve me in the field - in film, television and theatre. That said, the competition for those programs can be fierce and New York is a very expensive place. Los Angeles schools were mentioned - a very expensive place to live, also. Even Seattle has become super expensive. The truth is, a good teacher is one of the best things that can happen to you and they can turn up almost anywhere. I have heard good things about the Performing Arts Department at Kennesaw State since I moved to Atlanta. University of Georgia is an URTA school, the University Resident Theatre Association, and even though that program is for graduate students, the whole department may benefit from what goes on there. It's not clear where you are, but UT Austin has a renowned program and Austin is a very cool, and expensive, place to be, if film is also an interest. Look at the URTA site for ideas. You may want to continue as a grad - I have found that the more training you get, the more endurance you have and the more connections you make. Since I came to this market in Atlanta, I have also auditioned for Emory, where they hire union professionals for many of their shows, and that is exposure to career actors who can influence and advise you. So, if you want to consider Atlanta, where the industry is currently popping, look into what those schools might have for you. There are better theatre contracts down in Florida, so you may want be open to that, too. I will say, it is very tricky to balance the pursuit of the business while you are still in school, so although there is accurate advice about the professional tools you will need, remember that absences will drop your grades and money for classes is not refunded. I am having this problem now at SCAD, where I am in the Film and Television program but booking films and theatre outside. All the best! It is always an adventure!

Since you are active in sports I would suggest a college that has a good campus environment with accessible facilities (instead of a city). I personally usually look into websites such as https://www.niche.com/colleges/search/best-colleges-for-theater/

and see what updated colleges are in the rankings. I currently live in NYC and go to a good theatre school (Marymount Manhattan College) but I chose the school because of the good budget and wide range of courses aside from the theatre program. I would look into school in California such as USC if you want to get into film and Chicago or New York schools such as CUNY/SUNY or Columbia College if you want to go into Drama/Theatre

I say that unt and Texas tech and there are some schools out of state like amda and the new york conservatory school

If you're interested in acting then your best bet is to attend a college located in a city such as New York, Los Angeles or Atlanta where the market for acting is substantial. The top schools for acting are as follows:

• The Juilliard School, Drama Division (New York)
• New York University, Tisch School of the Arts (New York)
•  SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Theatre Arts (New York)
• California Institute of the Arts (Los Angeles, also referred to as the "Julliard of the West")
• Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama (Pittsburgh)
• Boston University School of Theatre (Boston)
• University of North Carolina School of the Arts (Winston-Salem)
• University of Minnesota, Department of Theatre Arts & Dance (Minneapolis)
• Syracuse University School of Drama (Syracuse)

If you are serious about acting I have some useful advice:

1) Start while you're young. It's extremely important to get your foot in the door while you are young because getting high-profile gigs takes years of experience, connections and hard work. On top of that, you'll need a SAG card (which comes at a hefty price) in order to get access to high quality opportunities. You can get SAG cards two ways:

a) Get a speaking role in a SAG production

b) Work three SAG productions as a non-union background actor where they are substituting you as SAG so that you can receive a Taft-Hartley waiver. You need three of these pink slips to get your SAG card.

2) Find a career that allows you to work during hours outside of the normal 9AM-5PM. The vast majority of acting gigs occur between 9AM and 5PM Monday through Friday and give very little notice (sometimes same-day). Many times you aren't confirmed for a gig until the day or evening before the shoot. This is not at all uncommon and just how the industry operates. If you have a full-time 9-5 job, it will be extremely difficult for you to attend castings or gigs. This is why many actors pick up work-at-home jobs, bartending jobs or waitressing jobs. However, I suggest a career that allows flexibility to work-from-home.

3) Get a professional camera (i.e. DSLR), a microphone (i.e. Rode) and a light (very important). Many times you are requested to send in self-tape auditions and shaky videos with bad lighting and sound will quickly give casting directors a reason to weed you out from other actors who are professional, have been doing it for years and are competing against you. You can use an iPhone (they have great quality videos), but I HIGHLY recommend getting a microphone compatible with it and a tripod stand to hold it.

4) Sign up for Actors Access, CastingNetworks and Backstage. Actor's Access charges $79/year and CastingNetworks and Backstage both cost about $15/month. This is where the work is if you do not have an agent and agents won't pick you up without a significant resume, which starts with background gigs and small TV/film roles.

5) Search for casting agencies in your area in addition to signing up for the industry platforms and apply to as many as you can. Casting agencies function by collecting getting as many types of people as they can and as a result, it is fairly easy to get picked up by them.

6) Get professional images. You don't have to spend $500. If you have a DSLR and good lighting you can take them yourself. But you need a good headshot as well as images portraying various "types" (i.e. business, casual, dressy, cool and hip). Try to find a photographer who is willing to do TF (trade for). They usually do this when they need to build their portfolio. It's a win-win because neither of you have to pay each other. They need a model and you need a photographer, so they are willing to do trade work to get more images in their portfolio.

7) Don't get discouraged. The booking rate for actors is extremely low. You will apply to dozens of gigs and not get booked. Or, you could book 5 gigs and a month and not get anything for 3 months. This is just the nature of the industry. It's just like modeling and most of the time it will have nothing to do with your acting abilities and will be over something extremely nuanced and inconsequential that just so happens to be significant to the producer (i.e. you're 2" too tall).

Hopefully this helps and good luck! :)

Bellevue College

Yes, many colleges do it all depends which college you have decided to go to because many colleges vary on certain types of majors

Hey there! So excited you’re looking into the theatre education world. My suggestions are NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Michigan, UNCSA, Northwestern University, Boston University, Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Otterbein University, Ithaca College, USC...etc. Please reach out to my with questions about being a drama major or the college audition process! Break legs!

Harvard University

If you're wanting to work in Film you should head to LA. USC and UCLA are large schools with wonderful Acting programs and every program you could think of in relation to the Entertainment Industry. They will have sports as well and many opportunities to receive funding.

If you want to work in Theater, NYC is the place to be. There are a ton of wonderful programs and I'm not completely familiar with those so I encourage you to do research when you figure out where you want to go.

Fill out your FAFSA as soon as you can because the schools you apply to will be able to tell you what scholarships you will be eligible for and financial aid in general. Pick your schools before you go to fill this out because you will need to list them.

I'll tell you what one of my instructors told me . Seattle, which is where I am, you can get maybe 4 auditions a month, in LA you can do 4 auditions a day.

NY and LA will get you started. There are a number of wonderful programs around the world you could choose if you're more inclined to find a smaller school. Indiana University has an amazing Theater Program, they have sports, dance and singing among thousands of other classes. It's a big ten school, but nowhere near as huge as USC, UCLA, etc.

Seattle FIlm Institute has many outstanding programs and it's a very small school. But the acting program is exceptional. Seattle is a much smaller city than LA or NYC. There is also a very good programs at the University of Washington in Seattle as well.

Don't hesitate to ask as many questions as you need. Call those numbers at the schools you're interested in or find the emails of the head of the departments you are curious about and find the place that feels right for you.

Good luck and Best Wishes on your Journey! May it be Magical.

Bellevue College

de Anza

What is your passion? Is it Drama, Comedy, Science fiction? You should begin your journey by gaining as much practical experience to add to your repertoire. Build a portfolio and document your experiences both good and bad. Not everything is going to roll your way, and you might find yourself questioning your decisions. Strengthen your resolve by both being and surrounding yourself with positive and proactive people. Above all, make the most of each and every opportunity that comes your way. Great things are bound to happen if you hold true to your goals and dreams. Best of luck, and break a leg.

Loyola college, it's an tremendous place to start the career. It's really helpful to all the students to star their carrier.

There are an abundance of amazing schools that have amazing programs. Yale school of drama is an incredible program for elite drama intense studies. Here are just many of the best drama programs, Tish School of the arts ,NYU,UCLA,Columbia University,CalArts, Otterbein, Rutgers,Carneige Mellon.I hope you find what program best fits you. i advise you to do some research on what fits you the most and your needs and wants. good luck you got this!

there are many great colleges that have amazing programs with theatre, some in new York and some in Florida as well, however I believe its best you don't look for colleges that have huge theatre programs, because even though it would be great to have big program, it will be especially hard for you to make a image of yourself. in big programs, directors will give actors a number ex.. actor 45 and will continue this number for all years, so it will be best to try a smaller program in which yo would be given no number and they will remember your name. only then you can have more help from your professor if you need any help.

Hi. Have you tried Ubiversity of Albuquerque? The Julliard School of Performing Arts is pretty magical too. There's a Boston school in Berkley that's also awesome. I'm sure you'll do great! Try applying to any of these

The Juilliard School

There is a great theater program located at, "The Conservatory for Dramatic Arts" in Manhattan, NY.

No evaluation can be accurate because the actors / actresses who made the school valuable. & a destiny for leading the path of drama ! My opinion