New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts

"NYCDA" redirects here. For the Manhattan attorney, see New York County District Attorney.

The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts (NYCDA) is a private drama school in New York City. It was originally conceived for the purpose of training actors for film and television acting and is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST) to offer associate degrees.^[1]

The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts

On-Camera Acting School
Motto	Developing Actors the Industry Wants To Work With Since 1980
Type	Private drama school
Established	1980
Students	200 admitted per year
Location	New York City , New York , United States
Campus	Urban
Nickname	NYCDA
Website	www.nycda.edu

On June 3, 2025, NYCDA announced that it will be closing on August 31, 2025, and will begin the process of assisting students in transferring to other programs.^[2]

History

Actors in Advertising, which grew into the School for Film and Television (SFT) and later became the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts (NYCDA), was founded in 1980 by Joan See, a student of Sanford Meisner.^[3] NYCDA founded the annual Joan See Memorial Scholarship in 2018.^[4]

In 1995, NYCDA was accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre.^[5] In 2013, the institution began granting an associate degree in Film & Television Performance after approval by the New York State Board of Regents.^[6] In 2018, The New York Conservatory launched a two-year associate degree in Musical Theater Performance.^[7]

NYCDA's campus is located in Manhattan's Chelsea/Flatiron district, most recently at 39 West 19th Street.

The final day of instruction will be on August 29, 2025.^[8]

Academics

NYCDA teaches the Meisner technique, pioneered by Sanford Meisner.^[9] Auditioning for the school is part of the application process for all programs.^[10] The school offers two-year Associate in Occupation Studies degrees and a 4-week summer program worth 6 credits.^[11] Associates are offered in the following four areas:^[5]

• Film and Television Performance
• Musical Theatre Performance
• Theatre Performance
• Media Production for the Actor

Notable alumni

• Jacob Batalon^[12]
• Ser'Darius Blain^[13]
• Keith Collins (2004)^[14]
• Manish Dayal^[15]
• Ryan Dorsey^[15]
• David Del Rio (2009)^[16]
• Reid Ewing^[17]
• Matthew Fox^[15]
• Justin Guarini^[18]
• Zulay Henao^[19]
• Shelley Hennig^[20]
• Vicky Jeudy^[15]
• Titus Makin Jr.^[21]
• Ashleigh Murray^[22]
• Carolina Ravassa
• Alice St. Clair^[20]
• Josh Sussman^[20]
• Ashlynn Yennie^[23]