Top Performing Arts Schools in Toronto, Canada

Toronto has a number of thriving performing arts institutions with esteemed alumni working on Broadway, touring theatre, local theatre, TV and film! Below, BroadwayWorld rounds up the top performing arts schools in Toronto. Check out the list below!

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Ryerson University

The School of Performance Acting program is a four year, full-time BFA program, admitting students through audition and academic requirements. With a mix of small ensemble studio classes and academic classes, the programme offers rigorous training in classical and contemporary approaches for a solid grounding in all areas of performance. Each semester, students train in acting rudiments such as voice, movement, text, and creative performance development, along with classes in music, dance, acting for camera, stage combat, and mask, among others. The programme focuses on creative exploration and experiential learning in response to the constantly emerging world of arts and culture. Upon graduation our students are prepared to contribute to the cultural fabric of Canada and beyond as creative practitioners, performers and leaders.

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Sheridan College

Academic studies and performance training
Our program combines the intensive professional training of an acting school with the academic preparation of an honours-level drama degree. No other drama and theatre program in Canada offers a comparable education.

Gain on-stage experience
Students gain professional-calibre experience at the acclaimed Theatre Erindale, working in every capacity - from front-of-house to backstage production and on-stage performance. They are encouraged to pursue additional performance opportunities on campus and in the community.

Succeed in the dramatic arts
You'll attend both institutions simultaneously. At UTM, you'll take drama courses covering the history, theory, and literature of Western drama and film. Acting classes and theatre studies take place at Sheridan and feature small, intimate class sizes; and personalized acting instruction, with emphasis on voice, text, movement, scene study and improvisation.

Additional information
This unique theatre program provides you with an exceptionally broad range of opportunities to develop and express your creativity - and a wide variety of drama and theatre career options to explore after graduation.

Additional Program Features

Focus on audition and rehearsal skills.
An introduction to theatre business practices.
Fundamentals of technical theatre, including sound, lighting, sets, costumes and props.

The workload is heavy, with many hours of rehearsal and theatre production added to classroom and personal study time. But you'll enjoy the camaraderie and teamwork of theatre life, and you'll graduate with a four-year honours degree (with specialist certification) from UTM and a two-year (equivalent) Sheridan diploma.

Your Theatre and Drama Studies degree will prepare you for a successful career in the dramatic arts.

Many of our students have gone on to prominent acting careers, including Zaib Shaikh (Little Mosque on the Prairie), Joanna Douglas (Being Erica) and Darryl Hinds (Second City).

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York University

Immerse yourself in all facets of theatre-making. Learn to work collaboratively backstage and onstage. AMPD's Theatre programs expose students to many aspects of theatre, offering experiences that mirror the professional world.

Theatre programs immerse students in all aspects of theatre, fostering the ability to specialize or to assume a wide range of roles and apply various approaches to performance. Incoming students share a common first-year curriculum in which they take courses across the various fields of theatre and performance. At the end of first year, students branch into a particular program according to their interests and goals*. Throughout the programs, students work as members of creative and production teams for department shows, including Theatre@York productions.

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University of Toronto

Theatre & Drama Studies is a unique partnership in theatre training, offered jointly between UTM and the Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning.

As a Theatre & Drama student, you will receive expert practical training in acting, balanced with a thorough exploration of dramatic history, theory and literature in this longstanding program. Graduates are well versed in the craft and business of acting having benefitted from small class sizes in new learning spaces.

You are given the opportunity to earn a two-year (equivalent) conservatory diploma in professional actor training from Sheridan in combination with a Specialist program focused on performance history, theory, and dramatic literature from UTM. This intensive combined program provides a foundation for a career in the professional theatre and for advanced theatre studies.

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Randolph College

More than just a musical theatre school, the Randolph College transforms performers into multi-talented professional artists through a rigorous training program that integrates acting for the stage and screen, vocal, and dance (jazz, ballet, tap), as well as theory and history.

Students graduate from the Randolph College not only with well-rounded skills as a performer, but also a better defined sense of self. While each student embarks on a journey of self-revelation, they also discover commonalities and respect for each other by celebrating their differences. This experience, which requires vulnerability, trust, and risk-taking, creates an indefinable bond between students, and builds an ensemble within which they can explore and enjoy positive working relationships. While the ensemble coalesces, the individual is strengthened as a performer, as they discover their own uniqueness of character.

Faculty support this ensemble spirit; as professionals in the industry, they themselves are conscious of how much courage it takes to present personal work to be evaluated, and pass on knowledge and techniques based on personal experience. All these elements comprise a conservatory environment where everybody engages in coursework that enhances a successful career and life in the arts.

RCPA is registered as a private career college under the Private Career Colleges Act, 2005.

Learn more here.

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