Curriculum
Students who passed the rigorous auditions were in for a demanding 2 years’ training. The curriculum for the Diploma in Dramatic Art was “modeled after that of an English acting conservatory”, with classes running 8 hours per day, 5 days a week, with instruction in voice, movement and acting techniques. In the second year, students had opportunities to polish these skills in public performances through the Studio Company.
The initial calendar included 3 11-week terms per academic year. In 1970 they switched to 2 semesters. All courses were prescribed. Attrition was high because the program was very selective. But the Academy boasted small class sizes and one-on-one attention, and students praised the quality of the training.
Dirk Benedict, a successful actor on Broadway and in Hollywood, later said that the foundational training he got at the ADA was “invaluable” and “fantastic”, giving him the confidence he needed as a performer.
The program was not part of OU’s academic offerings, and ADA credits were not transferable to OU credits.
However in 1971-1972 the ADA started offering credit courses in the theater, open to OU students: UC045 Introduction to the Theatre, and UC009C Theatre in America Today. Both had enrollment in the hundreds. In collaboration with the School of Education they also offered a course Play Production for Secondary School Teachers.
