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School of the Arts

Conservatory of Theatre Arts

Either center stage or behind the scenes, if you’re serious about training in theatre arts, you’ve found your place.

The Conservatory of Theatre Arts in the School of the Arts at Purchase College offers intensive, highly focused BFA training programs in acting and theatre design/technology for a limited number of students who seek to pursue professional careers in these fields. The theatre and performance BA program is for those interested in exploring the history and aesthetics of world drama and performance and the possibilities of theatrical expression—as performers, directors, and playwrights—within a broader liberal arts context.

Citizen Artists

Our goal is to foster the development of multifaceted artists with a strong sense of purpose in approaching their education and craft. You’ll discover what motivates you. You’ll understand the art form’s place in history. And you’ll explore what you are here to say and do and make. 

You’ll do this exploration in the company of a diverse and tight-knit community of open-minded students as part of the entire Purchase experience. 

Discover how your unique voice can contribute to our world.

The Faculty

Our accomplished faculty work as performers, directors, designers, managers, and theatre technicians with the theatrical companies listed below.

As seasoned and connected industry professionals, our faculty assist you in landing internships and job prospects.

  • Actors Studio
  • American Repertory Theatre, Cambridge, MA
  • Brooklyn Arts Council, Brooklyn, New York
  • Classic Stage Company, New York City
  • Disney Studios
  • Gotham Chamber Opera, New York City
  • John Golden Theatre, New York City
  • La Mama Experimental Theatre Company, New York City
  • League of Professional Theatre Women, New York City
  • Long Wharf Theatre, New Haven, CT
  • Manhattan Theater Club, New York City
  • Martin E. Segal Theatre Center, CUNY, New York City
  • New Ohio Theatre, New York City
  • New Studio on Broadway, New York City
  • New York Theatre Workshop, New York City
  • Peter J. Sharpe Theatre, New York City
  • Playwrights’ Horizons, New York City
  • Polonsky Shakespeare Center, Brooklyn, NY
  • Richard Rodgers Theatre, New York City
  • Signature Theater, New York City
  • Soho Rep. Theatre, New York City
  • The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre, New York City
  • The Delacorte Theatre, New York City
  • The Duke on 42nd Street, New York City
  • The Flea, New York City
  • The Invisible Dog, Brooklyn, New York
  • The Metropolitan Opera, New York City
  • The New Group, New York City
  • The Public Theater, New York City
  • Theatre for a New Audience, New York City

And many more…

What Makes Us Unique

As one of five schools in the Consortium of Professional Theatre Training Programs, Purchase is one of a handful of colleges in the world capable of training artists at this level—and of drawing a faculty from the ranks of professional theatre.

And because Purchase is located so close to New York City, you’ll have easy access to some of the best theatrical venues and production facilities in the country.

The Performing Arts Center

Unique to Purchase College is The Performing Arts Center of Purchase College, a significant regional arts venue that not only attracts national and international performers to the Purchase College campus, but also serves as the central laboratory, classroom and performance and presentation space for Conservatory of Theatre Arts students.

The Center for Media, Film, and Theatre

The newly-constructed Center for Media, Film, and Theatre opened in the Fall of 2019. This state of the art facility provides a multitude of workshops, labs, and classroom spaces to promote integration and collaboration between the Conservatory of Theatre Arts, the School of Film and Media Studies, and other arts-related programs.

Campus Culture

The coming together of arts and liberal arts and science students at Purchase College creates a campus culture like no other. You’ll not only receive world-class conservatory training but the opportunity to engage and collaborate with a broader artistic and intellectual campus community.



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