ABOUT THEATRE OF ARTS

Theatre of Arts is an acting conservatory founded in 1927 by Ben Bard and later developed by Max Reinhardt and Michal Chekhov. Featuring a two year associate degree program specializing in a conservatory approach to actor training, TOA is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre. A two week summer film-making course complements the core program. With an average class size of 12 students, 15 faculty and 5 staff, Theatre of Arts is an intimate and nurturing environment for the actor in training for a successful career in film, television and theatre.

FACILITIES

At Theatre of Arts, students train using two main spaces. The first is the thrust stage of the Arena Cinema on North Las Palmas Avenue. This 99 seat theater space operates both as a professional stage for plays and musicals and a screening room for motion pictures. The second main training space is our studio at 6755 Hollywood Boulevard, on the second floor. Flooded with natural light, the studio boasts mirrors and a professional hardwood dance floor. It is a perfect space for the many classes that occur there, the purpose of which is for actors to better get to know themselves. There are other spaces that our students train at as well, including a professional television studio used by UTB at the Musician’s Institute, other dance spaces at International Dance Academy, and on-location shooting around town, all in the heart of Los Angeles. Where else would you want to be?

HISTORY

Theatre of Arts, College for the Contemporary Actor, was founded in 1927 in Los Angeles by the film actor Ben Bard and later developed by film and theatre director, Max Reinhart and principal teacher Michael Chekhov.  Some of the most celebrated film and theatre actors trained with these masters during this period, including international stars like Shirley Temple, Olivia de Havilland, Mickey Rooney, Alan Ladd, Marilyn Monroe and Clint Eastwood.  Between 1960 and 2000, the school was managed by Madame Velma Oleska from a theatre on Wilshire and Fairfax. In 2001, the school merged with a trail blazing group of performing arts colleges headed by the Musician’s Institute and moved to our current location in the heart of Hollywood. Theatre of Arts is accredited by The National Association of Schools of Theatre, licensed by the State of California and approved to offer a two year associate degree in acting for film, television and theatre.