The Best Acting Schools for Theatre and Film

If you attend one of the best acting schools, it looks great on your resumé. It tells casting directors and agents that you're serious about your craft, and your career. But these schools don't accept just anyone off the street.

So which ones are the best and why? And how do you get into them?

Why do I Need Training?

You're probably wondering why you need acting training in the first place. Why can't you just get on stage and do your thing?

Here's a question: If you were going to play a game of chess, wouldn't you first want to learn the rules? How does the queen move? The bishop? The rook? You can't just sit down and start moving pieces at random, because you would lose the game.

The same applies with the guitar, golfing, and brain surgery. Anything worth doing requires study.

So why do people, especially young people, think that they can be an actor without first learning how?

Starting Early

If you're still young, you're in luck. You should attend on the top performing arts high schools in your area.

Degree Programs

If you're still in high school, you'll want to audition for the best acting colleges in the U.S. They're four-year conservatory programs that grant a BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts). A BFA shows the industry that you're serious about turning your passion into a career in acting.

On the flip side: conservatory programs leave you with a very specialized degree, which will limit your job options after school is done. Our advice? Develop another skill that you can turn into a freelance business while you're auditioning.

Training in New York

The founding fathers (and mothers) of modern acting technique made their home right here in New York City. Their legacies live on in the acting studios that they've left behind. And most of the stars you see on stage and screen have studied at these studios. Simply put, New York acting schools are the best of the best.

And you know what they say: If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.

Training in Los Angeles

True, many of the bigger studios in New York also have a presence in Los Angeles. But Los Angeles is an acting Mecca in its own right. Many of the best acting schools here focus on film acting, which is a smaller and more delicate technique.

The Bottom Line

Depending upon where you are in your life and career, the best acting schools can improve your technique and help you get auditions.