American Conservatory Theater: Courses, Admission, Cost

Commonly known as A.C.T., the American Conservatory Theater is a reputable theatre company located in San Francisco, California. The theatre offers both conventional and modern theatre productions, as well as act as an acting school for those who want to pursue their career in the related field. Established in 1965 in Pennsylvania, the theatre was founded by William Ball in association with the Carnegie Mellon University and Pittsburgh Playhouse.

Geary Theater is the home of this theatre school and located in the Theatre District of San Francisco. It was built in 1910 and earlier known as Columbia Theater. In 2015, Strand Theater was opened by A.C.T. in the Civic Center neighbourhood of San Francisco. It is a 283-seat theatre used for educational workshops and cabaret performances. The theatre is known for showcasing commissioned new works. The theatre is both a theatre company and an acting school that offers a number of classes.

The institute is officially certified to offer Master of Fine Arts degrees to budding actors as well as professionals. The theatre school offers an MFA program, an extremely competitive program that admits only 8 students yearly. In addition to the MFA program, it also provides training facilities and Young Conservatory programs. Its Young Conservatory is a globally known professional theatre training program for young aspirants. Apart from this, it offers a Professional Development Training program that features various workshop options based on the needs of aspirants and their teams. These workshops are organized to improve acting techniques utilizing the body, voice, and speech to build attendance, genuineness, and teamwork.

Moreover, the theatre school has produced some of the well-known actors of all time. Some of the prominent and notable alumni of its MFA program include are Benjamin Bratt, Carlos Bernard, Denzel Washington, Princess Sarah Culberson, Omar Metwally, Anna Deavere Smith, Dileep Rao, Annette Bening, Elizabeth Banks, Harry Hamlin, Anna Belknap, Steven W. Bailey, Wynn Harmon, and Anika Noni Rose.

Some of the other notable alumni of other programs include Nicolas Cage, Winona Ryder, Teri Hatcher, Tom O'Brien, Danny Glover, Delroy Lindo, David Denman, Rozzi Crane, Milo Ventimiglia, Zendaya, Darren Criss, Camryn Manheim, Amy Irving, Chelsea Peretti, Adam Jacobs, Brie Larson, and Chris Pine. The theater school has also offered training to budding talents that include Darren Criss, Neil Hopkins, Steven W. Bailey, Anna Belknap, and Daniel Beaty.