CalArts - California Institute of the Arts

The California Institute of the Arts, commonly known as CalArts, was founded in 1961 through the vision of Walt Disney, who conceived of a multidisciplinary arts conservatory where students across all creative disciplines could collaborate and push the boundaries of their art forms. Disney himself did not live to see the school open — it welcomed its first students in 1970, four years after his death — but his vision of an interdisciplinary creative community has defined CalArts ever since. Located in Valencia, California, approximately 30 miles north of Los Angeles, CalArts brings together programs in art, critical studies, dance, film and video, music, and theater under a single institutional umbrella. The School of Theater at CalArts offers BFA and MFA programs in Acting that emphasize experimentation, originality, and the development of actors as complete theater artists rather than mere performers. CalArts has always occupied a distinctive position in the landscape of arts education: it is neither a traditional conservatory focused on classical technique nor a conventional university program, but rather a laboratory for creative exploration that attracts artists who are willing to take risks. The school's overall acceptance rate is approximately 25%, though the theater programs are competitive within that broader framework.

In 2025, CalArts' School of Theater continues to operate as a haven for actors who are drawn to experimental, interdisciplinary, and boundary-pushing performance. The BFA program is structured as a four-year curriculum that progresses from American canon texts and foundational technique in the first year through classical world texts in the second year to modern classics, contemporary film and television work, and advanced scene study in the third and fourth years. The MFA is a three-year program that emphasizes movement and physical expression in the first year, classical texts and on-camera technique in the second, and craft deepening with career preparation in the third. What distinguishes CalArts from other programs is its culture of originality and risk-taking — students are encouraged to develop as total theater artists with the capacity to create, devise, and direct their own work alongside performing in others' productions. The campus environment is uniquely creative, with acting students working alongside animators, filmmakers, musicians, dancers, and visual artists, producing a cross-pollination of ideas and approaches that is genuinely rare in actor training. CalArts stages an annual Actors Showcase in both Los Angeles and New York for graduating students, connecting them with industry professionals.

Admission to CalArts' BFA and MFA Acting programs requires an artistic audition or portfolio review alongside the standard application materials. BFA applicants typically prepare monologues and may participate in group exercises that assess creativity, collaboration, and willingness to experiment. MFA applicants are expected to bring prior training or professional experience and demonstrate artistic maturity alongside technical skill. CalArts looks for applicants who show creative independence, intellectual curiosity, and a genuine desire to explore and expand the boundaries of performance — the school is less interested in conventional technical polish than in the spark of originality and the courage to take creative risks. The interdisciplinary nature of the campus means that CalArts values artists who are interested in collaboration across art forms and who see performance as connected to the broader world of creative expression. The application process emphasizes artistic fit as much as talent, ensuring that each cohort is composed of students who will thrive in CalArts' distinctive creative culture.

The training at CalArts encourages actors to develop as versatile, independent-minded artists with skills that extend well beyond traditional acting technique. Coursework spans acting, devised performance, puppetry, mask work, physical theater, and cross-disciplinary projects that may involve collaboration with students from the film, animation, music, and dance programs. The BFA curriculum builds progressively, with early years focused on foundational technique and text work and later years incorporating on-camera training, contemporary performance, and advanced scene study. The MFA program places particular emphasis on movement and physical expression, reflecting CalArts' belief that the body is as important an instrument as the voice in performance. Students perform in multiple productions each year, ranging from classical plays to experimental devised work, and are encouraged to create and direct their own projects as well. The Los Angeles location provides access to the film and television industry for students interested in screen work, though CalArts' primary orientation is toward innovative theatrical and interdisciplinary performance. Faculty are active artists who bring their own creative practices into the classroom, modeling the kind of artistic lives that CalArts graduates aspire to build.

CalArts attracts a specific type of artist: adventurous, intellectually curious performers who are drawn to experimentation and who want to develop as creators alongside their work as actors. The school's alumni include several major figures who demonstrate the range of careers CalArts training can launch: Alison Brie, known for GLOW, Mad Men, and Community; Don Cheadle, the Oscar-nominated star of Hotel Rwanda; Ed Harris, the acclaimed actor known for Westworld and The Truman Show; Condola Rashad from Billions and Broadway's Romeo and Juliet; and Cecily Strong from Saturday Night Live. The campus community is tight-knit and intensely creative, with students across all disciplines sharing ideas, attending each other's work, and collaborating on projects that blur the boundaries between art forms. CalArts graduates are known for their versatility, creativity, and willingness to take artistic risks — qualities that serve them well in an industry that increasingly values originality and multi-hyphenate artists. The school's proximity to Los Angeles ensures that graduates have access to the film and television industry, though many CalArts alumni also build careers in theater, performance art, and interdisciplinary work.

CalArts tuition for the 2025-2026 academic year is approximately $61,359 for BFA students and $83,286 for MFA students, with annual increases typically running 4-5%. These are among the highest tuition rates of any arts program in the country, and the total cost of attendance including housing, food, and personal expenses pushes the figures even higher. However, 91% of CalArts undergraduate students receive grants or scholarships, with an average aid amount of approximately $28,420 per student, significantly reducing the actual cost for most families. Additional financial aid options include work-study opportunities and graduate assistantships. Despite the high sticker price, the combination of merit and need-based aid means that many students pay considerably less than the published rate. Compared to tuition-free MFA programs at Yale, Juilliard, and USC, CalArts' graduate tuition is a significant disadvantage, and prospective MFA students should carefully evaluate their financial aid offers before committing.

CalArts is the ideal choice for adventurous, independent-minded actors who want to develop as complete theater artists capable of creating, devising, and directing their own work, and who thrive in a creative environment that values experimentation over commercial convention. If you are drawn to interdisciplinary collaboration, physical theater, devised performance, or boundary-pushing work, CalArts offers a creative home that traditional conservatories cannot match. The program is particularly well-suited for artists who see themselves as multi-hyphenate creators rather than purely performers. Actors who want rigorous classical training should look to Juilliard, Yale, or Carnegie Mellon instead. If you are primarily interested in mainstream film and television acting, programs at USC, UCLA, or NYU Tisch provide more direct preparation for that career path. Given CalArts' very high tuition, prospective MFA students should seriously consider the tuition-free options at Yale, Juilliard, and USC before committing to CalArts' graduate program.

Come to CalArts with a genuine desire to experiment and take creative risks — the school rewards artistic courage and curiosity far more than conventional technique or commercial ambition. Take full advantage of the interdisciplinary campus by collaborating with students in film, animation, music, and dance — these cross-disciplinary projects are some of the most valuable and distinctive experiences CalArts offers. Apply for every available scholarship and financial aid opportunity, as the 91% scholarship rate means that most students receive meaningful financial support. Develop a practice of creating your own work during your time at CalArts, as the school's culture actively supports student-generated projects and many of the most successful graduates build careers as creators and devisors. Use the proximity to Los Angeles to build relationships in the film and television industry, even if your primary interest is in experimental work — having industry connections provides financial stability that can support your artistic ambitions. Attend the annual showcases in Los Angeles and New York with genuine artistic engagement, as industry professionals respond to CalArts graduates who embody the school's spirit of creativity and originality.