<p>I was wondering if anyone had any sort of information on the quality of these non-degree programs in New York. They all sound pretty good, but if I could get some outside opinions, that would be awesome!</p>
<p>Atlantic Theatre Company
Lee Strasberg
Stella Adler
Neighborhood Playhouse
Circle in the Square
American Academy of Dramatic Arts</p>
<p>Any other suggestions are welcome as well.</p>
<p>I know someone well who has done ADA and they liked it very much. They left an MT program at a University that wasn’t a good fit for them after one year and did two years at ADA. They are now auditioning in NYC and have had some success. Know someone at Stella Adler who likes it very much and has had much growth as an actor. Know somone well at Circle. Fabulous faculty and very intense program. Circle is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre. They have full time faculty and some of their faculty teach at Juilliard as well. Both people at Adler and Circle have told me that there is no “hand-holding or nurturing,” and you have to be a self-starter who can survive with intense critique of ones’ work. They are very well-respected programs as I understand Neighborhood Playhouse is as well. I don’t have personal info about the others. You may want to check out the Circle website and note the amount of hours per week and the curriculum…28 hours in class for first year actors, I think 32 if you’re an MT.</p>
<p>I was accepted to AADA in new york straight out of high school and was very interested in going there (I ended up taking a year off and moving to europe and am now looking for a BFA program instead but thats besides the point…) There faculty and facilities were all very impressive. AADA generally has a younger student body than some of the others though… which was a pro for me when I was 17, but if your a more mature student you might be better suited somewhere else, there are a few students there who have finished an undergrad or are adult actors but the majority at least in the fall 07 incoming class were straight from high school.</p>
<p>I have three friends currently studying at Neighborhood all of whom LOVE it. (one is in 2nd year the other two are 1st years) the one who is in second year chose neighborhood after being accepted to all of AADA, Circle and Neighborhood (all of which she was impressed with) but found neighborhood to be the best fit. There’s something to be said for learning the Meisner technique straight from the place it was developed. </p>
<p>Unfortunately all my friends at neighborhood are Canadians like myself, so they’re not the best example of how much success a graduate has auditioning and working in NY after… as it’s illegal for us to work in the country but the training they’re receiving is in my opinion far superior to that of our other friends who went into BFA programs as it is so much more focused.</p>
<p>hope this helps.</p>
<p>I found this site two years ago when my daughter was accepted to AADA in Los Angeles. I can only judge from the California school but I must say that we are very pleased. She is currently working on her Grad play (second year) and considering auditioning for The Company which is the third year. (Two years plus a couple college classes will actually earn you an AA degree.) She too was accepted right out of high school but she formally requested a deferment for a year while we got our financial ducks in a row. She worked and saved, creating a little nest egg. We got loans and made it work for her. At first I thought… “Do you know how many actors actually make it?” And then I realized that I believe in my own daughter and have faith that her talent and commitment and strong faith will help her do whatever she wants. It is scary for a mom to send her kid off to Hollywood much like you and New York! The thing with the CA school is that there is not campus residence so she has gone through 3 moves since moving there. The first was living with a friend from home and renting out one of her uncles rentals in a residential neighborhood about 20 miles away… what we didnt’ realize is that 20 miles in LA we didn’t figure in the traffic which is about an hour and 15 minutes each way. So then we found something closer… too expensive so when that lease was up she moved to a safer more affordable apartment about 5 minutes away from her school. She got a great nanny job that pays enough for her rent and some other expenses. She actually has made it work. If you need any quesitons answered. I am here for you. I know how it feels to have so many questions and wonder where to go to find the answers.</p>
<p>This really comes down more to personal preference. Very few actors I know subscribe
only to one theory. They look at them all and take what works for them. If you asked
my preferences they would be Neighborhood, Adler, and Atlantic. But that doesn’t mean that
there’s anything at all wrong with the others. Now, what I am about to say could cause
controversy so let me state up front that I do not think training or going to college to be an actor is a waste of time. The programs most often discussed on these forums turn out well
trained people. But the bottom line is if you are what they are looking for when you walk
through the casting door, and you demonstrate you can do the work, you are likely going to get hired. When you are playing a scene no one asks you where you trained or went to
college. Your job as an actor is to be vocally, physically, and mentally prepared to do the work. How you go about that preparation is an intensely personal decision and it is a process that continues for the rest of your life as an actor.</p>
<p>Great Points! I can’t even try to offer an opinion to that. I am sure my daughter would have some but as the parent I can only offer what I have seen. I have to say that I remember when she auditioned for things before AADA, I knew she had something, I knew she was good but I knew that there are a lot of others out there just as talented or more talented and knew that they all wanted the part that only one could have just as bad as the next. Torture for a parent to watch as their hopeful child tries hard to make her dream a reality. Each audition, each part, each audience has caused her to grow in amazing ways. Each teacher has touched her and molded her, the networking, the contacts, the opportunities and her determination has caused me to be ashamed of myself for ever thinking that she would not have just as great of a chance as anyone who has already made it.
For example when she auditioned for AADA I went with her, the judges or teachers shook my hand and hurried her away. When they returned. They looked me in the eye, took my hand and shook it. I knew she was in. They saw something in her. I had to thank all her drama teachers in High School for giving her the parts and molding her, and then lol… AADA had to retrain her.
So you never know. You take some of this and some of that and you put it all together and you have a marketable item that people want. I know my daughter has opportunities through teachers, voice teachers, photographers and friends giving her leads on parts. My prayer for her is that she chooses the right parts because I know she will have them. I have no doubt she will be a success whether she tries out for her school’s Company or goes out on her own. I think the trick is…no matter where you go… someone, somewhere makes you believe in you.</p>
<p>The only one I have really heard about is Neighborhood Playhouse, from which many fine and successful actors have come from.</p>