CNSAD

The Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique (CNSAD) (English: French National Academy of Dramatic Arts) is France's national drama academy in Paris.

It is a higher education institution run by the French Ministry of Culture and, with an acceptance rate of two to three percent and an average graduating class of thirty students, widely considered the most selective acting conservatory in France, is consistently regarded as a top world-class performing arts institute renowned for its excellence in theatre education. Its alumni include Juliette Binoche, Carole Bouquet, Isabelle Huppert, Olivier Martinez and Sebastian Roché.

History

The Conservatoire was founded as a part of the Conservatoire de Paris in 1795, making it the oldest acting school in Continental Europe. It split in 1946, one school for the dramatic arts, and the other for music and dance, known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP).

Admissions

The Conservatoire offers a three-year study program, with the CNSAD diploma awarded on completion. The school admits approximately thirty students per year (usually fifteen men and fifteen women), as well as some invited foreign trainees (stagiaires étrangers). The school has a rigorous three-round competitive selection process, with only two percent to three percent of applicants gaining admittance. A stage directing program was launched in 2001.