Top 25 undergrad drama schools - H 2015
AP ImagesThis story first appeared in the June 5 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
1. Juilliard
Scholarships — like the one Jessica Chastain got from a donation by alum Robin Williams — put this top school within reach.
2. Carnegie Mellon
It’s one of the few colleges in the U.S. to offer a degree in bagpipes.
3. Tisch School of the Arts, NYU
Philip Seymour Hoffman‘s and Alec Baldwin‘s alma mater.
4. London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts
Benedict Cumberbatch and Ginnifer Goodwin studied here.
5. Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
George Bernard Shaw bequeathed the school a third of his royalties.
6. UNC School of the Arts
Mary-Louise Parker‘s old school has a sense of humor (its mascot is a pickle).
7. Northwestern
Julia Louis-Dreyfus got her start here.
8. University of Michigan
Its alums include James Earl Jones, Lucy Liu and Selma Blair.
9. Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
First school in the U.K. to offer a puppetry degree.
10. UCI Claire Trevor School
This is where Jon Lovitz learned his “Master Thespian” routine.
11. U of Minnesota
Henry Fonda, Jessica Lange and Bob Dylan were students here.
12. University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
First school in the U.S. to offer a B.A. in makeup and wig design.
13. Syracuse
It’s where Aaron Sorkin wrote his college plays.
14. USC
Forest Whitaker and Grant Heslov trained here.
15. Bristol Old Vic
Its student theater was once a tennis court.
16. National Institute of Dramatic Art
The Aussie school’s first play was Our Town.
17. Drama Centre London
It’s so tough students (like Emilia Clarke) call it the “trauma center.”
18. UCLA
James Dean was an undergrad here.
19. Rutgers
Calista Flockhart and Kristin Davis are grads.
20. Georgetown
Where Bradley Cooper decided to become an actor.
21. Depaul
John C. Reilly‘s and Gillian Anderson‘s first stop.
22. Pace School of Performing Arts
Recent alum include Dominick LaRuffa Jr. and Rob Hinderliter, Tony-nominated producers of You Can’t Take It With You.
23. CalArts
The printing room is supposedly haunted by a deceased animator.
24. Case Western
An apple tree on campus is a descendant of Newton’s famous tree.
25. Emerson
It has a Quidditch team. Really.
Corrections
11:45 am, June 2 Updated with a new Pace School of Performing Arts description.
12:10 pm, June 4 Updated title for University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
