The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) is a private conservatory for the performing arts in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. The conservatory offers

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

associate degree An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree ...

s, and certificates in professional performance. AMDA is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)

History

AMDA was founded in 1964 by Philip Burton and the New York theatre community. By 1970, the school had outgrown its original location on East 23rd Street and moved into a new building on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village. A few years later, further growth prompted a move to the Ansonia Building. In the 1990s a second location, which is now the principal location of AMDA New York, was opened near

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...

In 2003 the school expanded west by opening AMDA Los Angeles in the Vine Tower Building.

Campuses

The New York City campus is located on the

Upper West Side The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper We ...

of Manhattan. The principal facility is located at 211 West 61st Street, directly behind

. The other half of the campus is located at the Ansonia building on West 73rd Street. The Los Angeles campus is located in the Hollywood Entertainment District with its principal facility in the Yucca Vine Tower at 6305 Yucca Street, Los Angeles, CA 90028. AMDA's Los Angeles has multiple facilities for administration, classes for students and multiple theatres and amenities such rehearsal space, film, TV and editing facilities, a library, the AMDA Café, and the campus piazza.

Notable alumni

* Nina Arianda * Marissa Bode * Nicole Byer *

Tyne Daly Ellen Tyne Daly (; born February 21, 1946) is an American actress whose six-decade career included many leading roles in movies and theater. She has won six Emmy Awards for her television work, a Tony Award, and is a 2011 American Theatre Hall of ...

* Bailey De Young * Jason Derulo * Asia Kate Dillon * Erik Estrada * Mike Faist * Jesse Tyler Ferguson * Ray Fisher * Christopher Jackson *

Neil Kaplan Neil Charles Kaplan is an American voice actor, audiobook narrator, entertainer, and comedian. His most well known voice roles are Hawkmon from ''Digimon'', Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto from ''Bleach (TV series), Bleach'', Emperor Zarkon from ' ...

* Hailey Kilgore * Caissie Levy * Rizwan Manji * Carolyne Mas * Gretchen Mol *

Janelle Monáe Janelle Monáe Robinson ( ; born December 1, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper and actress. She has received ten Grammy Award nominations, and is the recipient of a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Children's and Family Emmy Award. ...

* Anthony Ramos *

Paul Sorvino Paul Anthony Sorvino (, ; April 13, 1939 – July 25, 2022) was an American actor. He often portrayed authority figures on both the criminal and the law enforcement sides of the law. Sorvino was particularly known for his roles as Lucchese cri ...

Lee Tergesen Lee Allen Tergesen (; born July 8, 1965) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayals of Chett Donnelly on USA Network's '' Weird Science'' (1994–1998), Tobias Beecher on HBO's '' Oz'' (1997–2003), Peter McMillan on the second seas ...

* Becca Tobin * Michelle Visage *

Marissa Jaret Winokur Marissa Jaret Winokur (born February 2, 1973), sometimes credited as Marissa Winokur, is an American actress and singer known for her Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, Tony-winning performance as Tracy Turnblad in the Broadway theatre, ...

* Michael-Leon Wooley * Natalie Zea * Mary Knickle * Joy Woods

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:American Musical And Dramatic Academy Drama schools in the United States Educational institutions established in 1964 Universities and colleges in Los Angeles Universities and colleges in Manhattan Hollywood, Los Angeles 1964 establishments in New York City Theatre in Los Angeles Theatre in New York City Private universities and colleges in California Performing arts education in New York City