AMDA was founded in 1964 by Philip Burton and the New York theatre community.[4] By 1970, the school had outgrown its original location on East 23rd Street and moved into a new building on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village. A few years later, further growth prompted a move to the Ansonia Building.[4] In the 1990s a second location, which is now the principal location of AMDA New York, was opened near Lincoln Center[4]
In 2003 the school expanded west by opening AMDA Los Angeles in the Vine Tower Building.[5]
Campuses
The New York City campus is located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The principal facility is located at 211 West 61st Street,[6] directly behind Lincoln Center. The other half of the campus is located at the Ansonia building on West 73rd Street.[4]
The Los Angeles campus is located in the Hollywood Entertainment District with its principal facility in the Yucca Vine Tower at 6305 Yucca Street, Los Angeles, CA 90028.[4]
AMDA's Los Angeles has multiple facilities for administration, classes for students and multiple theatres and amenities such rehearsal space, film, TV and editing facilities, a library, the AMDA Café, and the campus piazza.[4]
