LA campus of American Academy of Dramatic Arts to close next year

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Los Angeles campus of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts is set to close at the end of the next school year, but some people aren't letting it happen without a fight.

The announcement was made in April via email, with the official notice noting that "enrollments are down across the country and national birthrate calculations and other key data show that colleges, especially smaller institutions, must adapt to changing conditions."

"It was heartbreaking to watch mostly the students absorb this news," said adjunct faculty member Erin Coleman. "There were a lot of tears."

A group of faculty members, students and alumni are now raising money to preserve the L.A. campus, asking the school's board to take a look into current leadership that got them in this position.

"We do a good service to the kids that come here. We teach them about life. We teach them how to be what they want to be, and to have that yanked out from under them, it's kind of unconscionable," said teacher and alumnus Joe Garcia.

Faculty members say they found out the school was closing at the same time the students did, which didn't give them enough time to help prepare the students to cope.

"Kind of all hell broke loose in the dorms a little bit," recalled Noah Dittmer, a student at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. "Everybody was like running out like, 'What's happening?'"

A statement from the school read in part, "This decision was an incredibly painful one, and we know that our community is hurting ... Our Board made this difficult decision solely to protect the long-term viability of the Academy for future
generations."

Classes will continue at the L.A. campus through the upcoming 2024-2025 academic year.

Incoming students this fall will have the option to complete their first year in L.A. and transfer to the New York campus to finish their education.