USC School of Dramatic Arts

With the support of alumni, parents and friends, the USC School of Dramatic Arts continues to lead the way in developing the most innovative creatives of tomorrow - fueling the entertainment industry with a pipeline of self-initiating artists from around the globe who are committed to telling transformative and undiscovered stories. Through a hands-on, robust, and cutting-edge training on stage and screen, we equip students to become multihyphenate artists prepared for careers in the ever-evolving entertainment industry. Our forward-looking initiatives and interdisciplinary partnerships across USC give our students the skills to work in any medium so that they leave SDA with both the flexibility and media agility to take on a multitude of leadership roles across storytelling platforms and adjacent industries. We also continue to attract award-winning faculty who are working professionals from the stage and from the screen, from Los Angeles, from the nation and from around the world. 

Through donor support, we offer unparalleled opportunities for career preparation. SDA is proud the be the first drama school with a dedicated Professional Development Center devoted to supporting our students and recent graduates. We are also committed to cultivating students as compassionate human beings who harness their storytelling powers to help address our world’s most pressing problems. Programs such as our Institutefor Theatre & Social Change embody our investment in encouraging students to utilize the dramatic arts to create powerful, transformative stories that have the potential to change the world. SDA also remains deeply dedicated to keeping our training accessible to passionate deserving students worldwide—regardless of their financial circumstances—through our growing scholarship funds made possible with donor contributions. 

As a small school, every gift makes an especially meaningful difference in the lives of our students. Whether you give $100 to support our free headshots program, pledge $1,000 to support a theatre and social change workshop or endow a scholarship for an incoming student, your contributions make these vital professional and academic opportunities possible for our students. We truly appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you on campus soon!

Arguably, the most important professional development for artists and creatives is freedom from financial burden. As we educate versatile, multihyphenated dramatic artists who can excel in a myriad of professions, we also recognize that providing access through scholarships has never been more vital. Philanthropic support of SDA’s Scholarship Fund enables us to ensure access to a USC education and to attract top global talent.

At the same ribbon-cutting ceremony, alumnus LeVar Burton spoke to the responsibility of artists “to not just reflect the societies in which we do our work, but to encourage them to move the needle. To move the culture forward.” This imperative is on our mind more than ever as we celebrated 30 years of using theatre for social change this year at an event that looked back on the impact of our Institute for Theatre & Social Change (ITSC), entirely supported through generous gifts from our SDA community.

As a small school, every donation makes a significant difference in the lives of our students. Whether you give $100 to support our free headshots program, or endow a scholarship for an incoming student, your contributions make professional and academic opportunities possible for our students and enable SDA to change our industry for the better by developing artists who are both skilled professionals and “cultural changemakers.” We appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you on campus soon!