What would our world be without drama? It would certainly be dull.
If you dream of seeing yourself on screen or on stage, this article introduces schools that can help you train in drama and acting. Becoming a drama actor may require emotional investment and intensive training, but learning proper techniques and creative processes from these institutions can help you develop your craft. In this article, we will look at some of the best-known drama schools in the world.
Top Drama Schools in the World
1. The Juilliard School
The Juilliard School has a strong reputation in the performing arts, especially music, drama, and dance. Located in New York City, admission is highly selective, and many aspiring performers dream of training there.
Juilliard offers a four-year Actor Training Program through its Drama Division for BFA students. The program trains students in movement, voice, acting technique, drama studies, liberal arts, and performance.
Juilliard also offers a four-year MFA in Drama. Like the undergraduate program, the MFA follows an intensive actor-training structure and includes work in drama, acting, movement, voice, and performance.
2. Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland started as part of the Glasgow Athenaeum in 1847. It is now a leading performing arts institution and has produced notable alumni such as Katie Leung and David Tennant.
Under the Royal Conservatoire’s School of Drama, Dance, Production and Film, current undergraduate Stage and Screen programs include BA Acting, BA Arts with Community, BA Filmmaking, BA Musical Theatre, BA Performance, BA Production Arts and Design, and BA Production Technology and Management. For students focused on drama and performance, BA Acting, BA Musical Theatre, and BA Performance are especially relevant options.
At the postgraduate level, RCS offers programs such as MA/MFA Acting/Directing Classical and Contemporary Text, MA Musical Theatre: Musical Directing, Professional Graduate Diploma in Musical Directing, and MA/MFA Production in Design or Management. There are also short and junior conservatoire opportunities in stage and screen.
3. New York University
A private institution in the Big Apple, New York University is known for its prestige and is recognized for its performing arts education. Thousands of students seek its high-quality education every year, but only those who meet its selective standards are welcomed into its schools, including the Tisch School of the Arts.
Under the Tisch School of the Arts, the Department of Drama offers BFA training through a studio-based model. Students receive conservatory training while also studying theater studies, the humanities, and the sciences. The program may include areas such as acting, music theater, production, design, theatrical management, and directing.
Besides the Department of Drama, students may also explore related Tisch areas such as Collaborative Arts, Design for Stage & Film, Open Arts, Performance Studies, Graduate Acting, and Graduate Musical Theatre Writing.
4. University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna
The University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, also known as mdw, is one of the largest and best-known universities for music, theater, and film. It traces its roots to 1817 and offers a wide range of programs in the performing arts.
For drama, the university’s Max Reinhardt Seminar provides diploma-level training in performing arts, with study in acting and directing. Students combine practical artistic training with theoretical and scholarly subjects, and the official degree awarded is Magistra or Magister artium.
5. The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
- Study Program
- Location: Hong Kong | Degrees Offered: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Diploma
The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts was established in 1984. It is based at its Wan Chai Campus in Hong Kong and offers performing arts education in fields such as Chinese opera, dance, drama, film and television, music, and theatre and entertainment arts.
This institution offers three main programs through its School of Drama: BFA (Honours) in Drama, MFA in Drama, and Diploma in Drama Foundations. The four-year BFA program was launched in 2012 to produce skilled professionals with knowledge of both Western and Asian theater. Its majors include Acting for Drama, Acting for Musical Theatre, Applied Theatre, Directing, and Dramaturgy.
The MFA in Drama is available as a two-year full-time program or a three- to four-year part-time program. The Diploma in Drama Foundations is a one-year program designed to prepare students for further drama study, including possible entry into the BFA program.
6. Mozarteum University Salzburg
The Mozarteum University Salzburg is an Austrian performing arts university named after Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of the world’s most famous classical composers. Its Thomas Bernhard Institute is known for theater training and contemporary theatre practice.
For drama and theater, the Thomas Bernhard Institute offers programs in Acting, Theatre Directing, and Applied Theatre. Acting and Theatre Directing are eight-semester diploma programs worth 240 ECTS credits and lead to the Magister artium qualification.
The university also offers an Applied Theatre master’s program. This program runs for four semesters, carries 120 ECTS credits, and combines artistic practice with critical, participatory, and socially engaged approaches to theater.
7. The Oxford School of Drama
- Study Program
- Location: England | Degrees Offered: Master’s and Diplomas
The Oxford School of Drama is a specialist drama school in Oxfordshire. It is separate from the University of Oxford and focuses on professional actor training, with graduates working as actors, writers, directors, and filmmakers.
The school offers full-time courses including the Three Year Acting Course and the One Year MA in Acting. The Three Year Acting Course leads to a Level 6 Diploma in Professional Acting validated by Trinity College London and regulated by Ofqual. The One Year MA in Acting is a four-term program designed for students aged 21 and above.
The Oxford School of Drama also offers acting foundation courses and short courses. Its Three Year Acting Course gives students group classes, one-on-one classes, and opportunities to work with professional practitioners, helping them transition into the performing arts industry.
We hope that this article on the best drama schools in the world was helpful. If you are interested, check out the available programs for international students!
