Why Aspiring Actors are Turning to Buffalo for Exceptional Dramatic Arts Training
You may be surprised to learn Buffalo, NY is rapidly developing into a regional hub for theater and the performing arts. Numerous factors make Western New York’s largest city an appealing choice for those looking to flex their acting chops—from a blossoming arts scene to affordable cost of living. This guide will walk through the breadth of exceptional acting programs available to match any artist‘s interests and budget.
Over the past decade, Buffalo has witnessed a theater renaissance. Generous public and private sponsorship enabled existing institutions to expand their offerings while attracting out-of-town troupes. As a result, fifteen theater companies now call the Buffalo area home, staging over 1,000 performances each season. This creative momentum enticed young actors to move here and compelled area colleges to strengthen their performing arts curriculums.
So where can promising thespians unlock their potential in Buffalo? The 20 acting programs covered below run the gamut from intensive conservatories to Shakespeare in the park to children’s theater workshops. The options span far beyond what’s typically expected of a metro area Buffalo’s size. While less costly than bigger markets like Los Angeles and Chicago, these Buffalo acting classes deliver proven results—evidenced by distinguished alumni starring on Broadway now.
Keep reading to discover which program best suits your artistic talents, interests, and budget. With Buffalo’s ascension as New York’s second city for theater behind NYC, the next generation of stars may rise out of Western New York.
1. The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA)
Over 50 years ago, AMDA set the benchmark for performing arts training in NYC with campuses since added in LA and other major cities. They expanded to Buffalo in 2018, validating the area‘s emerging reputation as an entertainment industry incubator. AMDA offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Acting with enrollment surpassing most peer institutions at 154 students last year.
The conservatory-style curriculum immerses students in rigorous pre-professional training—everything from scene work, voice and speech to dance and stage combat. With a 12:1 student faculty ratio, you’ll receive highly personalized coaching and direction. The facilities themselves impress—including flexible black box theaters ideal for intimate or experimental works.
Each semester culminates in fully supported productions staged before campus-wide audiences. Through these recurring showcases, students gain invaluable experience while networking with invited talent agents and casting directors. In fact, 72% of recent AMDA Buffalo graduates have already procured acting jobs or agent representation according to the latest figures.
So if you envision Broadway as the pinnacle, AMDA Buffalo has the proven formula to help transform raw talent into industry-ready performers. Alumni like Emmy-winner Sterling K. Brown make the best testimonials. Why not become the next Buffalonian that LA and NYC comes recruiting?
2. University at Buffalo Department of Theatre and Dance
While AMDA focuses exclusively on acting—the University at Buffalo offers a traditional liberal arts education with conservatory-level theater training embedded. Students alternate each semester between intense drama courseloads and traditional math, science and humanities classes. This well-rounded academic foundation, supplemented with 40+ productions a year, prepares graduates for versatile careers on stage and behind the scenes.
The UB Theater and Dance program ranks among the nation’s top 5% with alumni acceptance rates into elite MFA programs consistently over 90%. Numbers don’t lie. UB breeds bonafide talent like Emmy-nominee Kathy Bates among other household names. Current students benefit from a 10:1 student-faculty ratio and the chance to perform in facilities as cutting-edge as any Ivy League drama department.
While competitive—admittance is talent-based for theater applicants—the payoff comes after graduation. UB Theater and Dance graduates possess the adaptability smaller arts schools can’t match while avoiding the debt burden of private universities. So if you see actor or director among future aspirations, UB allows exploring other subjects without compromising world-class acting instruction.
3. Road Less Traveled Productions
When UB Theatre and Dance chair Scott Behrend launched this professional company in 1996—he simply hoped to extend training and performance opportunities to local actors year-round. Fast forward to present day with Road Less Traveled Productions (RLTP) thriving as Western New York’s second largest theater organization. Their annual budget eclipses $1.3 million through ticket sales and private donors compared to $37 thousand initially.
The growth directly correlates to the depth and diversity of RLTP’s offerings. Adult acting workshops span topics like “Honing your Audition” to devising original works. Their TheatreWorks program exposes thousands of regional schoolchildren to the dramatic arts via in-school productions and summer camps. RLTP further supports emerging playwrights through an affiliated lab—having premiered 26 original works that went on to stages nationwide.
While community actors comprise most casts, many professional actors grace RLTP productions during the off-season from Broadway tours and regional theaters. The exposure to different acting pedigrees in an intimate 60-seat black box theater makes workshopping scenes thrilling and rewarding. If seeking concentrated doses of actor training without academic pressures—RLTP offers an unmatched creative playground.
4. Buffalo Seminary
While technically a private prep school for girls K-12—Buffalo Seminary offers the most comprehensive theater program among local secondary institutions. Students play an integral role in every facet—from performing the leading roles to operating lighting consoles for tech crew. The annual spring musical sees up to 50 cast members bringing epic Broadway shows like Les Miserables and The Color Purple to life on stage.
Such ambitious productions with full pit orchestras prepare BFS’ thespians for the college audition circuit better than rival schools. Recent grads land spots at top programs like NYU Tisch School of the Arts and The Juilliard School thanks to polished portfolios developed under the close mentorship of BFS’ theater faculty. These instructors also devote ample hours towards college prep—assisting with material selection through coaching seamless audition execution.
While the入price tag exceeds $30K annually, roughly 20% of families qualify for need-based financial assistance. And compared to boarding schools offering comparable theater programs—the total outlay comes out tens of thousands less per year for local enrollees. If seeking serious acting training molded by professionals without uprooting early—BFS vocal arts building hums at all hours for a reason.
5. Lancaster Regional Players
Since launching inside an abandoned village hall in 1957—the Lancaster Regional Players holds the distinction as Western New York’s oldest continually operating community theater. Their productions showcase local dramatic talent ages 8 to 80 with experience levels spanning first-timers to 35-show veterans. While performers skewing older dominate the 200+ member talent pool, LRP offers invaluable stage experience for career-aspiring teens and young adults.
Over ten productions run annually including a mix of comedies, dramas and large-scale musicals like Fiddler on the Roof and The Music Man. So neophyte actors have plenty of opportunities to find their footing in Spring youth productions before auditioning for selective Fall roles. The atmosphere behind-the-scenes feels more like family than cutthroat theater since no one earns pay. Volunteerism keeps ticket prices affordable—drawing sizable crowds that make newbies quickly at ease.
If testing your daring or simply socializing with like-minded creatives sounds appealing, community theater thrives 75 miles outside Buffalo in Lancaster, NY. Just brace for catching the acting bug after that first production bow to applause. Lancaster Regional Players has offered a stage home to hundreds bit by the acting bug over six amazing decades and counting.
6. Theatre of Youth (TOY)
What started forty years ago inside a Buffalo church basement has blossomed into one of America’s most respected and innovative children’s theater programs. While Theatre of Youth’s team of education professionals now teach upwards of 800 students annually—the founding principle remains to make drama accessible and fun versus intimidating. Programs span ages 8 to 18 from acting classes for recreational enjoyment to intensive lessons for serious pursuers.
For example, TOY’s Apprentice Track offers rigorous artistic development for teens displaying the desire and discipline to excel on stage. By working with professional directors and voice coaches during fully realized productions, these student actors gain valuable training for collegiate performing arts auditions. The selectivity also heightens that exclusive conservatory-style atmosphere.
TOY further sets itself apart hosting New York’s largest youth playwriting competition. Winning works earn a full theatrical production through their highly collaborative Page2Stage program. Even those not pursuing an acting career appreciate TOY’s safe, welcoming environment for taking risks and gaining poise speaking before audiences. When benefiting children—the dramatic arts train skills that ripple positively into all aspects of life.
7. Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts
While Buffalo Public Schools’ four other arts academies foster promising talents in specific disciplines—BAVPA provides a stage for aspiring actors, dancers and vocal musicians to harmoniously develop together. As Western New York’s only specialized public arts high school, BAVPA offers comprehensive training in seven distinct concentrations.
The 150-seat Montante Theater lies at the heart of the program—hosting student-run productions managed like professional shows. Whether acting on stage or controlling riggings backstage, participants gain practical insights into pursuing theater avocationally or vocationally. The daily immersion builds essential skills alongside fellow passionate teens under experienced local arts professionals.
Success stories abound with 2022 grads currently studying acting at NYU, Boston Conservatory at Berklee and other esteemed institutes. BAVPA grads also become eligible for the New York State Fine Arts Scholarship—with recent theater awardees receiving $3,500 towards SUNY college expenses. So while BAVPA holds students to higher accountability through juried reviews for continuation—the demonstrative mastery pays dividends after graduation.
8. O‘Connell & Company
Since opening along Buffalo’s redeveloped waterfront in 1986, this professional theater company fills a profoundly impactful role nurturing Western New York’s best theatrical talents. O’Connell & Company founding members returned home after discovering performance opportunities sorely lacking locally to sustain careers post-graduation. The initial productions flaunted thedelitem untapped brilliance while enticing expat performers back serving as guest artists.
Today the company’s seasonal productionsrival the quality of any metropolitan region—featuring performers that trained at Juilliard and Circle on the Square Theatre School. Community actors in O’Connell’s musicals and plays also benefit working alongside Broadway professionals in the signature round stage setting. The collaborative energy inspires everyone’s A-game while forging mentorships across experience levels.
O’Connell further fuels Buffalo’s surging theater scene hosting masterclasses and talkbacks that community actors attend religiously. Imagine private coaching sessions with Sutton Foster or Joel Grey for a fraction of their normal fees. Expect this sorely needed knowledge sharing, connectivity and inspiration among Western New York theatrical talents to accelerate as O’Connell’s reputation and supporters continue growing.
9. Shea‘s Performing Arts Center
As Western New York’s premier touring Broadway venue—Shea’s also strives exposing local youth to theatrical arts with numerous engagement initiatives. These public programs challenge perceptions that venues solely exist to sell musicals and plays as mass entertainment. Shea‘s 710 Mainstage may anchor Buffalo‘s Theater District with classics like Wicked and Hamilton gracing its illustrious stage yearly. However, the nonprofit‘s community outreach endeavors through in-house foundation Arts Partners foster tomorrow‘s stars and supporters.
Opportunities span summer theater camps for kids to the lauded Buffalo High School Musical Theatre Awards. This program allows Cinderella stories like a tiny public school winning top honors for its production against nationally regarded O’Connell & Company. Shea’s also bestows college scholarships to lift financial hurdles for catalyzing budding performers. Even those not pursuing acting as a career path gain lessons in self-confidence, empathy and perseverance through theater involvement that aid tremendously elsewhere in life.
10. Brazen Faced Varlets
What originally began as a few University at Buffalo grads producing free Shakespeare in Delaware Park branched into this formal theater company in 2003. The season runs June through August seeing 60-80 young actors performing classics like A Midsummer Night’s Dream fully costumed amidst lantern-lit mausoleums. Talk about breaking barriers commonly associated with stuffy, antiquated works students once suffered through in high school!
Whether you join the cast or work crew for Brazen Faced Varlets—the summertime adventure bonds all equally. The Forest Lawn Cemetery’s sloping hills and ponds naturally form a dynamic stage immersed in foliage. Since performers need no special training, roles remain accessible to college students simply wishing to build skills and community members chasing artistic growth. Location scouting even occurs on graveyard picnics by lantern light!
If looking to flex dormant acting muscles or enliven dreary Buffalo summers with new friends—Brazen Faced Varlets extends a wholehearted invitation. Contributors have traveled internationally to participate previously or driven many hours cross-state after hearing whispers of this fascinating Shakespeare happening. Once you experience the Lantern Festival’s magic, we suspect that urge for a repeat performance will linger eternally.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully this far-reaching guide outlined ample avenues for acting in Buffalo beyond just our thriving theater companies. Program options cut across the spectrum—from intensive conservatories like AMDA to Shakespeare in historic Forest Lawn. I aimed conveying how no other comparably-sized metro rivals Buffalo’s quality and diversity of dramatic arts education.
The most astonishing aspect is the caliber of acting training available here often exceeds major industry hubs like Chicago or Atlanta for a fraction of large city costs. So if your interests lean more theatrical or you / your child display innate performing talents—strongly consider Buffalo as the supporting backdrop. This city fosters and fuels creativity in ways that virtually guarantee you’ll shine brighter with so many collaborators and cheerleaders surrounding!