The LACC Theatre Academy may be the best-kept open secret in Los Angeles actor training: a professional conservatory founded in 1929, one of the oldest college theatre programs in America, whose alumni include Morgan Freeman and Mark Hamill, operating inside a public community college at $46 a unit for California residents. Nothing else in this directory offers conservatory structure at that price.
The Academy is genuinely gated and genuinely full-time: admission requires an application plus a video audition (a memorized monologue from a published play), or passing the intro course first, and the program runs as a daytime block schedule with a production course every semester adding evening and weekend calls. Part-time enrollment is essentially impossible by design. Training leads to a vocational certificate, with an AA available by adding general education, and concentrations cover acting, costume design, and technical theatre. Practicum crossover with LACC's cinema department adds on-camera work.
The program's recent Melancholia collected eleven national Kennedy Center honors including Distinguished Production, form that would flatter universities charging twenty times more. Located in East Hollywood on Vermont Avenue, steps from the Metro B Line. For committed actors with more discipline than money, start your comparison here.
Techniques taught
- Eclectic / multi-technique: Schools that draw on several lineages and fit the tools to the actor, not the reverse.
Class types
Enrollment and schedule
Apply via the online Acting Application, then submit a video audition (one memorized 2-5 minute monologue from a published play; current cycle uses a 2-minute video upload per the department home page). Alternate path: pass TA 200 and enter the following semester. Site says candidates 'audition or interview.' High school diploma/equivalency required; no GPA cutoff stated. Schedule: Daytime block schedule only, no night or Saturday Academy classes; production commitments add evenings/weekends. Duration: Full-time sequential program; certificate length not stated on current pages (historically a two-year conservatory).
Audit, trial, or intro class
Class audit fee listed at $15.00 per unit on the college fee page, but Academy courses are cohort-restricted
Published pricing
| Program | Published price | Source, as of |
|---|---|---|
| CA-resident enrollment fee, 2026-27 | $46.00 per unit | source 路 2026-07-16 |
| Mandatory semester fees (CA resident), 2026-27 | Health services $19 (fall/spring), ASO $10, student rep $2; parking $20 optional | source 路 2026-07-16 |
| Nonresident/out-of-state tuition, 2026-27 | $397.00 per unit in addition to the $46.00/unit enrollment fee ($443.00/unit total) | source 路 2026-07-16 |
Prices are the school's own published rates on the dates shown. We never estimate prices. Always confirm before enrolling.
Instructors
- Eddie Bledsoe, Department Chair; Acting and Costume Design programs. bledsoje@laccd.edu
- Johnny Garofalo, Technical Theater Entertainment Technology program. KCACTF national lighting-design recognition (Melancholia)
- Maureen Weiss, Technical Theater Entertainment Technology program
Practical notes
Parking: Campus parking permit $20 fall/spring, $10 winter/summer
Scholarships: Department FAQ: no scholarships/assistantships for incoming Theatre Academy students; campus financial aid and fee waivers available to those who qualify
Location
Questions actors ask
Where is Los Angeles City College Theatre Academy located?
What acting technique does Los Angeles City College Theatre Academy teach?
Is Los Angeles City College Theatre Academy suitable for beginners?
Does Los Angeles City College Theatre Academy offer on-camera training?
How much do classes at Los Angeles City College Theatre Academy cost?
Does Los Angeles City College Theatre Academy teach children or teenagers?
Is admission to Los Angeles City College Theatre Academy by audition?
Who teaches at Los Angeles City College Theatre Academy?
Is parking available at Los Angeles City College Theatre Academy?
When was this information last verified?
Sources and verification
- LACC Theater Department Home, accessed 2026-07-16
- Theatre Academy: Actor Training | LACC, accessed 2026-07-16
- LACC Theatre Arts / Theatre Academy FAQ, accessed 2026-07-16
- Tuition & Fees | LACC, accessed 2026-07-16
Researched 2026-07-16, last verified 2026-07-16. Facts above come only from these sources. Anything we could not confirm is simply not shown. Report incorrect information or claim this listing if you represent the school.
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