Your future in the performing arts doesn't have to be a dream. For over 50 years, AMDA has launched some of the
most successful careers in theatre, film and television. AMDA creates industry professionals who don't just wait
for life to happen—they stage their own career path. Watched by the eyes of millions, our graduates take the
world's stages, film sets and movie screens, changing the way we think about art in the 21st century.
Now it's your turn.
Success requires more than just talent. From the moment you arrive until the day you graduate, AMDA trains you to
leave our doors a professional ready to work in today's competitive industry. With over 150 opportunities to
perform each year, you'll receive world-class training while living in the beating hearts of the world's
entertainment capitals: Los Angeles and New York City.
To become the best, you'll train with the best. You'll receive world-class training from our faculty of
successful Broadway directors, choreographers, actors, film directors, TV producers and casting agents who are
still working in entertainment. Each day will immerse you in a rigorous and demanding pursuit of excellence,
giving you the knowledge and skill set that will last you a lifetime. It's time for your next role—you're ready.
Welcome to AMDA.
The History of AMDA
The concept and vision of AMDA was created by dynamic artists and educators at the forefront of their fields in
Broadway, Shakespeare, Hollywood film, world-renowned dance, playwriting and academia. This group of
distinguished and successful artists shared a unique philosophy: that the training of any performing artist –
whether it be of an actor, a singer, or a dancer – benefits greatly by including core classes in voice, speech,
movement, dance, and acting. Recognizing the value that "cross-training" would have to each individual
performing artist, the AMDA curriculum was born. This was an original, non-traditional approach; in 1964, the
year of AMDA's founding, no other performing arts school or program offered an immersive, multi-disciplinary
style of AOS or Certificate study. Since AMDA's beginning, its signature model of training has been adopted as
the gold standard of performing arts education by colleges and universities throughout the country, and indeed
throughout the world.
Under the singular devotion and passionate leadership of David Martin and Jan Martin, AMDA has grown
exponentially in both size and scope. The Martins’ long-term vision for AMDA included having two vital campuses in the capitals of the entertainment industry – one in the middle of Manhattan and the other in the heart of Hollywood. In 2003, AMDA College of the Performing Arts opened its doors in Los Angeles, offering four
Bachelor of Fine Arts programs, one Bachelor of Arts program, and three Associates of Occupational Studies
programs. One of AMDA's exclusive opportunities for its more than 1400 full-time students is the Artist's
Laboratory, which provides the opportunity to create and perform original content for stage, media, and film in
a faculty-mentored setting. Another unique program created by AMDA is the BFA in Dance Theatre, which is the
only program in the country focusing on a combination of theatre dance and dance for film and television.
Over the past 50 years, AMDA has continued to lead the education community with creative and innovative programs
for emerging performing artists. AMDA's Degree Programs and AOS or Certificate Programs support, teach and guide
artists focused in all areas of the performing arts including actors, singers, dancers, content creators,
writers and producers. Today, AMDA remains at the cutting edge of performing arts higher education and is one of
the premier performing arts institutions in the world.
AMDA Alumni are contributing to the worlds of theatre, film, television, education, not-for-profit, business,
service – the list goes on and on. We celebrate the talent, skill and commitment of our Alumni, who are doing
incredibly worthwhile work all across the country and around the world.
Below is a list of a few of our AMDA Superstars:
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- Tyne Daly (Tony Award winner for Gypsy on Broadway, six-time Emmy Award
winner for her starring roles in "Cagney & Lacey," "Christy," and "Judging Amy")
- Paul Sorvino (with 170 TV and film credits, including Goodfellas and
Nixon)
- Chris Jackson (starred as George Washington in the original cast of the Broadway
mega-hit Hamilton; currently starring as Chunk Palmer in the CBS series "Bull;" Emmy Award
winner for original song composed for "Sesame Street")
- Anthony Ramos (starred in the dual role of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton in the
original cast of the Broadway mega-hit Hamilton; starred as the loveable Ramon in the Oscar
nominated film A Star Is Born)
- Caissie Levy (star of multiple Broadway shows including Ghost,
Hair, and Les Miserables; currently starring in the smash hit Broadway musical
Frozen as Elsa, a role she created)
- Jesse Tyler Ferguson (four-time Emmy Award nominee for his role as Mitchell
Pritchett in NBC's "Modern Family;" star of the Tony Award winning musical The 25th Annual
Putnam County Spelling Bee on Broadway)
- Christopher Sieber (star of multiple Broadway shows and two-time Tony Award nominee
for his roles of Sir Dennis Galahad in Spamalot and Lord Farquaad in Shrek The
Musical; currently starring on Broadway in the Tony Award nominated musical The
Prom)
- Jamal Wade (dancer in multiple music videos including Pink's "What About Us,"
Kiiara's "Messy," K. Michelle's "Birthday," and SEEB's "Drink About," as well as for the MTV Video
Music Awards)
- Jason Derulo (pop singer/songwriter with four #1 hits in the Top 40, 11 hits in the
Top 10 and 11 platinum singles)
- Sarah Stiles (currently starring on Broadway in her Tony Award nominated role of
Sandy Lester in Tootsie; previous Tony Award nominee for her role of Jessica in Hand To
God)
- Jeremy Pope (double nominee for the 2019 Tony Awards for his Broadway debut as
Pharus Jonathan Young in Choir Boy and his current role as Eddie Kendricks in Ain't Too
Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations).
In addition to our celebrated performers on Broadway; national, regional and international stages; film,
television and media platforms — our Alumni are also working in every other area of the entertainment industry,
including technical theatre, film/TV crews, playwriting, screenwriting, filmmaking, producing, directing,
choreographing, editing, teaching, and content development.
Congratulations, AMDA Alumni! We are so proud of you all.
Historic Photos
Liza Minnelli in The Act. Liza and other renowned performers often participated in AMDA benefits.
Artistic Director David Martin instructing AMDA students. (1968)
Sondheim: A Musical Tribute, an all-star tribute to Stephen Sondheim at the Shubert Theatre with
Angela Lansbury and Hermióne Gingold.
AMDA students rehearsing in the Bleecker Street building. (1970)
Sing Happy at Lincoln Center. Produced by David and Jan Martin. (1978)
Chita Rivera, Gwen Verdon and Liza Minnelli performing in Sing Happy, AMDA's all-star tribute to
John Kander and Fred Ebb, at Lincoln Center. Produced by David and Jan Martin. (1978)
AMDA individual voice teacher Eileen Schauler with student.
Artistic Director David Martin with AMDA students in the Ansonia building. (1985)
AMDA Acting for Film and Television class. (1990)
AMDA dance class in the Ansonia. (1995)
AMDA's first director Philip Burton with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Photo by: Friedman-Abeles
Philosophy and Mission
AMDA provides rigorous, performance-based training and an industry-focused education experience; one that
inspires excellence and prepares artists with an appreciation for the universal power of transformation through
art. AMDA's educational philosophy is based on close collegial interaction between instructors and students — in
class, in production and through active mentorship.
AMDA is committed to providing an unsurpassed performing arts education to a diverse community of creative
artists. AMDA serves as both school and stage, where students are given the support and opportunity to define
their own personal objectives and to develop and refine their own distinctive artistic voices.
AMDA strives to create an environment for students to develop the skills, confidence, imagination, and power to
contribute to their community as artists, entrepreneurs, visionaries, lifelong learners, and conscientious
citizens of the world. Above all, AMDA wants to teach students that commitment and passion are the hallmarks of
a successful and joyous career.
Accreditation and Approvals
Institutional and Programmatic Accreditation
AMDA (American Musical and Dramatic Academy) College of the Performing Arts is a private, non-profit, 501(c)(3) entity and is accredited institutionally by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), 1080 Marina Village Parkway, Suite 500, Alameda, CA 94501, 510.748.9001.
AMDA is also accredited programmatically for discipline-specific programs with the National Association of
Schools of Theatre (NAST), 11250 Roger Bacon Drive, Suite 21, Reston, VA 20190, 703.437.0700.
Department of Veteran Affairs
AMDA is an approved educational institution recognized by the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Eligible veterans and their dependents seeking educational training may qualify to use Title 38, Chapters 30, 31, 33, 35 and 1606/1607. More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill. GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
State Information
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ALASKA +−
AMDA’s fully online programs are exempt from authorization under AS 14.48 because the programs are online or distance delivered and we do not have a physical presence in the state.
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CALIFORNIA +−
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Connecticut +−
Students residing in Connecticut while enrolled in a fully online program may file a student complaint with the Connecticut Office of Higher Education. Before contacting the Office of Higher Education, you must first exhaust AMDA’s internal grievance or complaint procedures. Once you have pursued your concerns using the institution’s dispute resolution procedures, and have not reached a mutually agreeable resolution, you may proceed with filing a formal complaint with the Office of Higher Education. To do so, please visit the Connecticut Office of Higher Education’s Student Complaint Process page.
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Georgia +−
Students living outside of California should attempt to resolve any academic issues or complaints with AMDA first. If after following AMDA’s complaint procedures the issue cannot be resolved internally, a Georgia student may file a complaint with the Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission at 2082 East Exchange Place, Tucker, GA 30084, (770) 414-3300 or fill out this online form: https://gnpec.georgia.gov/organization/about-gnpec/contact-gnpec. Georgia students have the right to appeal final AMDA institutional decisions to GNPEC.
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Maryland +−
AMDA is subject to investigation of complaints by the Office of the Attorney General or the Maryland Higher Education Commission. A Maryland student must first exhaust the AMDA complaint procedures. Should the opinion of the student be that the complaint has not been resolved appropriately by AMDA, the student may submit the complaint to:
Maryland Attorney General
Consumer Protection Division
200 St. Paul St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-528-8662/888-743-0823 (toll free)
AMDA is not currently registered with the Maryland Higher Education Commission.
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New York +−
AMDA is authorized to operate in New York under the New York State Education law Section 5001 2 (f).
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South Carolina +−
The South Carolina Commission on Higher Education responds to formal complaints from students against public, independent non-profit and proprietary institutions of higher education in South Carolina. However, the Commission has limited authority over public and non-profit independent colleges and universities and cannot offer legal advice or initiate court proceedings. Student complaint procedures and forms can be found on the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education’s website at https://che.sc.gov/. Complaint forms and required documentation should be submitted by email to submitcomplaint@che.sc.gov or by mail to:
SC Commission on Higher Education
Academic Affairs
Attn: Student Complaint
1122 Lady Street, Suite 300
Columbia, SC 29201
Inquiries regarding accreditation status or state approvals should be directed to the Office of Institutional
Effectiveness.
