The USC School of Dramatic Arts (commonly referred to as SDA)—formerly the USC School of Theatre, is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

drama school at the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. It is ranked one of the top 10 dramatic arts schools in the world, according to

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

's Top 25 Drama Schools. The school offers

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

degrees in theatre and visual & performing arts;

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases. Background The Bachel ...

degrees in

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad r ...

design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design' ...

sound design Sound design is the art and practice of creating sound tracks for a variety of needs. It involves specifying, acquiring or creating auditory elements using audio production techniques and tools. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including ...

stage management Stage management is a broad field that is generally defined as the practice of organization and coordination of an event or theatrical production. Stage management may encompass a variety of activities including the overseeing of the rehearsal p ...

and technical direction; and

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts ...

degrees in acting and dramatic writing.

History

Founded in 1945 as ''Department of Drama at USC'', it became an independent school in 1991 and was named ''USC School of Theatre''. It was renamed USC School of Dramatic Arts on July 1, 2012. In 2020, Dean David Bridel resigned after admitting to an affair with an undergraduate. Emily Roxworthy serves as the current dean of the school.

Notable faculty

* Andy Robinson - actor (

Dirty Harry ''Dirty Harry'' is a 1971 American neo-noir action thriller film produced and directed by Don Siegel, the first in the ''Dirty Harry'' series. Clint Eastwood plays the title role, in his first outing as San Francisco Police Department (SFP ...

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (abbreviated as ''DS9'') is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller. The fourth series in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise, it originally aired in syndication from ...

) and founder of the MFA in Acting Program at the USC School of Dramatic Arts. * Michael Keenan - actor ('' Picket Fences'') and professor of acting and directing; directed USC plays and stage productions from 1987 to 2015 *Anna Deavere Smith - playwright, actress, author, journalist; taught acting in the MFA program from 1985 to 1989.

Notable SDA alumni

Patrick J. Adams Patrick Johannes Adams (born August 27, 1981) is a Canadian actor. He is known for playing Mike Ross, a college dropout turned unlicensed lawyer in USA Network's series '' Suits''. For his role in ''Suits'', Adams was nominated for Outstanding ...

Robin Bain Robin Bain (born February 12, 1980) is an American actress, writer and director. Career Early work Robin Bain is a graduate of the University of Southern California and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater from the USC School of Drama ...

* Leigh-Allyn Baker *Todd Black *

Nathan Parsons Nathan Dean Parsons (born 16 June 1988) is an Australian-born American actor, known for his work in daytime television on the ABC daytime soap opera ''General Hospital'' as the character of Ethan Lovett.''Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water'': Perf ...

Troian Bellisario Troian Avery Bellisario (born October 28, 1985) is an American actress. A graduate of the University of Southern California, in 2010, she received her breakthrough role as Spencer Hastings in the Freeform drama series '' Pretty Little Liars'' ...

Beck Bennett Christopher Beck Bennett (born October 1, 1984) is an American actor, comedian, and writer, who was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' for eight seasons (2013–2021). Before then, he performed in AT&T "It's Not Complicated" commercials in ...

LeVar Burton Levar Burton Jr. (born February 16, 1957) is an American actor, director, and television host, best known for playing Geordi La Forge in '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (1987–1994). He also played Kunta Kinte in the ABC miniseries ''R ...

Sophia Bush Sophia Anna Bush Hughes (born July 8, 1982) is an American actress. She starred as Brooke Davis in The WB/ CW drama series '' One Tree Hill'' (2003–2012), and as Erin Lindsay in the NBC police procedural drama series '' Chicago P.D.'' (2014 ...

Sorel Carradine Sorel Johannah Carradine (born June 18, 1985) is an American actress. Her parents are Keith Carradine and Sandra Will. Carradine received her B.F.A. from USC School of Dramatic Arts, and began her career in 2005 with an appearance on the TV s ...

Tate Donovan Tate Buckley Donovan (born September 25, 1963) is an American actor, comedian and television director. He is known for portraying Tom Shayes in ''Damages'', Jimmy Cooper in '' The O.C.'', and the voice of the title character in the 1997 Disney ...

* Anthony Edwards *

Ryan Eggold Ryan James Eggold (born August 10, 1984) is an American actor. He is known for playing Ryan Matthews on the CW teen drama series '' 90210'' and Tom Keen on the NBC crime drama series '' The Blacklist'' and its short-lived spin-off series '' ...

*Will Harris *

Evan Helmuth Evan Hershey Helmuth (May 18, 1977 – July 17, 2017) was an American film and television actor. Helmuth was best known for his lead role as Father David Keane in the 2012 horror film, '' The Devil Inside''. His other film credits included ...

(1999) *

Devin Kelley Devin Marie Kelley is an American actress. She starred in the ABC drama series ''Resurrection'' playing Dr. Maggie Langston and also co-starred on the Fox crime drama ''The Chicago Code''. She also starred in eight films, four of which are shor ...

* Eric Ladin *

James Lesure James Lesure (born September 21, 1970) is an American television actor, best known for roles on the NBC/The WB sitcom ''For Your Love'' (1998–2002), and NBC comedy-drama ''Las Vegas'' (2003–2008), '' Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce'' (2017–20 ...

*Peter Levine *

Alexander Ludwig Alexander Ludwig (born May 7, 1992) is a Canadian actor and country musician. He first began his career as a child, and then received recognition as a teenager for starring in the films '' The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising'' (2007) and '' Race to W ...

* Kevin Mambo * Perry Mattfeld *

Timothy Omundson Timothy Michael Omundson (born July 29, 1969) is an American actor. He is notable for his supporting roles as Sean Potter on the CBS television series ''Judging Amy'', Eli on the syndicated series '' Xena: Warrior Princess'', Carlton Lassit ...

J. August Richards Jaime Augusto Richards III (born August 28, 1973), commonly known as J. August Richards, is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Charles Gunn on The WB television series ''Angel'' and Mike Peterson on ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ...

* John Ritter * Jon Rudnitsky *

Stark Sands Stark Bunker Sands (born September 30, 1978) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Tunny in the original Broadway cast of '' American Idiot'', and originating the role of Charlie Price in '' Kinky Boots'' on Broadway. He is a two-tim ...

Kyra Sedgwick Kyra Minturn Sedgwick (; born August 19, 1965) is an American actress, producer and director. For her starring role as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson on the TNT crime drama ''The Closer'', she won a Golden Globe Award in 2007 and an Emmy Awa ...

* James Snyder (actor) * Anthony Sparks * Richard Speight Jr. * Karan Soni *

Eric Stoltz Eric Cameron Stoltz (born September 30, 1961) is an American actor, director and producer. He played the role of Rocky Dennis in the biographical drama film ''Mask'', which earned him the nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Suppor ...

* Danny Strong *

Andy Tennant Andrew Wellman Tennant (born June 15, 1955) is an American screenwriter, film and television director, actor, and dancer. Early life Tennant was born June 15, 1955 in Chicago, Illinois and was raised in Flossmoor, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago ...

* TJ Thyne * Michael Uppendahl * Peter Vack *

Forest Whitaker Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. After making his f ...

* Deborah Ann Woll * Colin Woodell

Programs of study

*Undergraduate Degrees **

(BA) ***BA in Theatre ***BA in Theatre, Acting Emphasis ***BA in Theatre, Comedy Emphasis ***BA in Theatre, Design Emphasis ***BA in Performing & Visual Arts **

(BFA) ***BFA in Acting ***BFA in Design ***BFA in Sound Design ***BFA in Stage Management ***BFA in Technical Direction ***BFA in Musical Theatre *Graduate Degrees **

(MFA) ***MFA in Acting ***MFA in Dramatic Writing

Performance Venues

*Bing Theatre *Drama Center and Massman Theatre *Scene Dock Theatre *McClintock Theatre

Theatrical Productions

The School of Dramatic Arts presents more than 20 theatrical shows annually that showcase the works of the students in acting, stage management, lighting design, set design, costume design, technical direction and more.

References

External links

* http://dramaticarts.usc.edu/ {{authority control * School of Theatre Drama schools in the United States Performing arts education in the United States Performing arts in California