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

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drama school at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

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 U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. 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 Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'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 years ...

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 Bachelor ...

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 admini ...

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 Richard Andrew Robinson OBE (born 3 April 1964) is an English rugby union coach and retired player. He was the director of rugby at Bristol until November 2016. He is the former head coach of Scotland and England. From September 2019 to Decemb ...

- actor (

Dirty Harry ''Dirty Harry'' is a 1971 American neo-noir Neo-noir is a revival of film noir, a genre that had originally flourished during the post-World War II era in the United Statesroughly from 1940 to 1960. The French term, ''film noir'', translates ...

, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) and founder of the MFA in Acting Program at the USC School of Dramatic Arts. * Michael Keenan - actor (''

Picket Fences ''Picket Fences'' is an American family drama television series about the residents of the town of Rome, Wisconsin, created and produced by David E. Kelley. The show initially ran from September 18, 1992, to June 26, 1996, on the CBS televisio ...

'') 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 Dramatic ...

Leigh-Allyn Baker Leigh-Allyn Baker (born March 13, 1972) is an American actress. She had recurring roles on ''Charmed'' and as Ellen on ''Will & Grace'', and a starring role as the matriarch Amy Duncan (Good Luck Charlie), Amy Duncan on the Disney Channel sitcom ...

*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'': Perfe ...

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 ''Root ...

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 ...

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 '' Th ...

*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 *

Eric Ladin Eric Steven Ladin (born February 16, 1978) is an American actor. Early life and education Ladin studied at the USC School of Dramatic Arts. Career Ladin has guest starred as William Hofstadt on multiple episodes of the AMC show ''Mad Men'' and ...

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'' (2017–201 ...

*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 Wi ...

Kevin Mambo Kevin Mambo (born June 29, 1972) is a Zimbabwean-Canadian actor and musician. He is best known for his role on the CBS Daytime serial ''Guiding Light'' in the role of Marcus Williams, which won him two Daytime Emmys and for his role as Fela Ani ...

Perry Mattfeld Perry Frances Garcia Mattfeld is an American actress and producer. She is best known for her roles as Mel in '' Shameless'' and FrankenGirl in ''Wizards of Waverly Place'', and her leading role as Murphy Mason in The CW crime drama '' In the Dark' ...

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 Lassiter i ...

* J. August Richards *

John Ritter Johnathan Southworth Ritter (September 17, 1948 – September 11, 2003) was an American actor. Ritter was a son of the singing cowboy star Tex Ritter and the father of actors Jason and Tyler Ritter. He is known for playing Jack Tripper on the ...

Jon Rudnitsky Jon Rudnitsky (born November 22, 1989) is an American actor and comedian who was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' for the 2015–2016 season and played McWatt in the 2019 miniseries ''Catch-22''. Early life Rudnitsky is a native of Harr ...

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) James Randall Snyder (born February 7, 1981) is an American actor and singer. He graduated from Christian Brothers High School in Sacramento, California and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the USC School of Dramatic Arts in Los Angel ...

Anthony Sparks Anthony Sparks is an American television showrunner, writer-producer, and playwright. He is also an essay writer who focuses on media, performance, and African American politics and culture. He also holds a Ph.D. in American Studies & Ethnicity fr ...

Richard Speight Jr. Richard Speight Jr. (born September 4, 1969) is an American actor, director, screenwriter and producer who is known for a variety of roles including CBS TV series ''Jericho (2006 TV series), Jericho'', ''The Agency (2001 TV series), The Agency ...

Karan Soni Karan Soni (born January 8, 1989) is an Indian-American actor and comedian. Often appearing in comedic roles, he came to prominence for playing Dopinder in the films ''Deadpool'' (2016) and its sequel ''Deadpool 2'' (2018). Born in New Delhi, S ...

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 Support ...

Danny Strong Daniel William Strong (born June 6, 1974) is an American actor, film and television writer, director, and producer. As an actor, Strong is best known for his roles as Jonathan Levinson in '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and Doyle McMaster in ''Gilm ...

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 Michael Uppendahl is an American television and film director. He is well known for his work on the AMC period drama ''Mad Men''; the FX shows ''American Horror Story'', '' Fargo'', and ''Legion''; and the Fox musical/dramedy ''Glee''. Career ...

Peter Vack Peter S. Brown (born September 19, 1986), better known his stage name Peter Vack, is an American actor, writer, director and producer. He is best known for portraying Jason Strider in the MTV comedy series ''I Just Want My Pants Back'' (2011–201 ...

Forest Whitaker Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Forest Whitaker, various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award ...

Deborah Ann Woll Deborah Ann Woll (born February 7, 1985) is an American actress and model. Woll played Jessica Hamby in the HBO drama series ''True Blood'' (2008–2014), which earned her a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award. She subsequently starred as ...

Colin Woodell Colin Todd Gerard Woodell (born December 20, 1991) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Rick Betancourt on ''The Purge'' on USA Network and Matias in the 2018 film '' Unfriended: Dark Web''. He played Aiden in the CW series '' The ...

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