San Francisco Performing Arts Schools & Programs As with any world-class city and cultural center, you'd expect to find an educational infrastructure capable of producing the next generation of performers, and San Francisco does not disappoint. The San Francisco State University Department of Theatre Arts is a comprehensive program for both hands-on and theoretical training. Perhaps the best-known and best-regarded school overall in the area, Stanford University isn't too shabby either with its Drama Department and its Dance Division. For more of an experimental look at performing arts, check out the New College of California And if you're a big fan of Bravo's "Inside the Actors Studio", be sure to look into attending its home base, known for its focus on method acting, The Actors Center of San Francisco.

To cover the exorbitant costs of living in San Francisco, you can't cut it as a starving artist. Get out and work. There are jobs to be had and San Francisco employs over 1,300 actors, producers, and directors full-time, as well as over 1,000 musicians, singers, music directors, and composers, and over 700 dancers and choreographers. People who are open to part-time employment in the performing arts will find an even greater wealth of opportunities to work in their field of choice.

Performing Arts Schools, Programs & Courses in San Francisco
Subjects listed are highlights of programs and/or courses offered.
Harrington College of Design Brown College Argosy University University of Phoenix American Intercontinental University Kaplan University Le Cordon Bleu Schools International Academy of Design & Technology Argosy University Audubon Expedition Institute Brooks Institute of Photography Brooks Institute of Photography The Art Institutes The Art Institutes Sanford Brown Institute Harrington College of Design University of Phoenix Brooks Institute of Photography Brooks Institute of Photography Argosy University DeVry University Vet Tech Institute The Art Institutes The Art Institute Online

Why San Francisco is a Great Place to Study Performing Arts
People in San Francisco, California, have figured out that the East coast doesn't have a monopoly on talent, nor on an audience hungry for live entertainment. When it comes to the performing arts, they've got it all right there in the Bay Area. There's no need to fly across the Continent for ballet, opera, or the best in plays and musicals when such things can be found just down the winding street, or over that next steep hill.

Other Resources for Performing Arts Education and Careers in San Francisco
  • Asian American Theatre Company
  • The San Francisco Foundation
  • Ethnic Dance Festival
  • Shorenstein Hays-Nederlander Theatre
  • San Francisco Performing Arts Library & Museum
  • Brookside Repertory Theatre
  • Performing Arts - Employers in San Francisco
  • Theatre Bay Area
  • 42nd Street Moon
  • Big City Improv
  • Lines Ballet
  • San Francisco Opera
  • Lamplighters Music Theatre
  • San Francisco Symphony

  • Performing Arts - Internship Opportunities in San Francisco
  • Magic Theatre
  • American Conservatory Theatre
  • Abydos Theater
  • Afro-American Shakespeare Company
  • Bay Area Center for Independent Culture
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