Founded in 1965, American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) nurtures the art of live theater through dynamic productions, intensive actor training in its conservatory, and an ongoing dialogue with its community. During the past three decades, more than 300 A.C.T. productions have been performed to a combined audience of seven million people; today, A.C.T.'s performance, education, and outreach programs annually reach more than 250,000 people in the San Francisco Bay Area. The conservatory, now serving 3,000 students every year, was the first training program in the United States not affiliated with a college or university accredited to award a master of fine arts degree.