The American Musical and Dramatic Academy , founded in 1964 is a training conservatory offering BFA degree and two year certificate programs in New York City and Los Angeles.  We offer BFA programs in Musical Theatre, Acting, Dance Theatre and Performing Arts on our Los Angeles Campus and Certificate programs in Musical Theatre, Acting and Dance on both the New York City and Los Angeles Campuses. The programs are designed to prepare the student to work on stage in theatre and musical theatre, in film and television and in dance. AMDA’s faculty of professional artists draw upon their relevant experiences and offer invaluable knowledge of the profession to students. The combination of their performance background and commitment to education provides an outstanding learning opportunity to AMDA students.

Currently, AMDA graduates have roles on Broadway in HAIR, SOUTH PACIFIC,WEST SIDE STORY,WICKED,SHREK THE MUSICAL,JERSEY BOYS and IN THE HEIGHTS.  Graduates are also slated to be in the new Broadway shows RAGTIME(directed by an AMDA faculty member), FINIAN’s RAINBOW, MEMPHIS and ROCK of AGES.  Television and film credits include GUIDING LIGHT(CBS), GREY’s ANATOMY(ABC), LEGEND OF THE SEEKER(CW), MODERN FAMILY(ABC), ALL MY CHILDREN(ABC), AN AMERICAN AFFAIR, PEACOCK and EVERY LITTLE STEP.  Many graduates work off Broadway, in national and international tours and in regional theatre.

Our campuses in New York and Los Angeles provide students with the opportunity to study in the two foremost artistic centers of the country – New York and Los Angeles.  The New York location is in the historic  West Side of Manhattan, minutes from the Broadway theatre district, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and the major television studios.  The Los Angeles campus is on a two acre site located in the heart of historic Hollywood, one block north of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street.  The Pantages Theatre and the Capitol Record Building are seen from campus.  Paramount, Fox and Universal Studios are close by, as are beaches, museums and the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame.  Both locations offer up to date spacious studio and theatre facilities in which to study.  Our student body is national and international in scope with 50 states and 30 foreign countries represented.  We offer residence space in both  locations and 95 % of our students live in housing on campus or within a short distance from the campus.

Admission is competitive and all students audition as part of the admission application process.  Application to AMDA requires three essays, 2 letters of recommendation,  a performance audition and all transcripts of prior academic work from high school and college(if applicable).  The application and supporting documents should be received before the scheduled audition date.  For the convenience of students we have scheduled auditions in 37 cities.  We offer monthly auditions on campus in New York and Los Angeles.   We offer scholarships and financial aid to those who qualify.  We require all students seeking financial aid to file their FAFSA as soon as possible.  The AMDA code is 016082.