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. Its alumni include Brigitte Bardot, Juliette Binoche, Carole Bouquet, Isabelle Huppert, and Olivier Martinez.

History [link]

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 [link]

The Conservatoire offers a three-year study program, with the CNSAD diploma awarded on completion.^[1] 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.^[1] A stage directing program was launched in 2001.

"Le Conservatoire", on the rue du Conservatoire at rue Sainte-Cécile in Paris (May 2009).

Entrance to the CNSAD (May 2009).

Location [link]

Le Conservatoire, the school's main building, is located on the rue du Conservatoire in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. Its famous theatre, built in 1811 by the architect Delannoy, was the site of Hector Berlioz's debut opera, as well as the first French performances of Beethoven's Third and Fifth Symphonies.

Notable alumni [link]