Students hope to save famed acting school Theatre of Arts Hollywood from shutdown
By Rob Hayes
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HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, California (KABC) — Students and employees at Theatre of Arts Hollywood say the nearly 100-year-old acting school is getting ready to close its doors.
“They called all of us students into faculty meetings, saying ‘Hey, it’s very unfortunate, but this school is closing,'” said current student Callahan Welsh.
ToA’s administration wouldn’t comment on the closure, but employees at the school confirmed that it is slated to shut down permanently in March 2025.
The school has been a staple in Hollywood since it opened in 1927, churning out stars like James Dean, Olivia de Havilland and Mickey Rooney.
“It’s just sad to see that all of this history is just going to be stripped away,” said ToA student EdRinaldo Dale. “This place has built a strong net of good, working actors, people that work together and want to succeed, so why would you want to take that away?”
Callahan says he hopes some of the school’s famous alumni might pitch in to keep the school from going under.
“We’re kindly looking for a donor or anyone who’s willing to take Theatre of Arts under their wing to keep it open,” he told Eyewitness News. “Clint Eastwood, Marilyn Monroe, Shirley Temple, Jack Palance came to this school, walked these halls and learned to act professionally. We’d like to keep doing the same thing.”
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