The CAP21 Conservatory was founded in 1993 by Frank and Eliza Ventura as a response to the need for in-depth actor training for the musical theatre. The dedicated mission of The CAP21 Conservatory is to provide world class actor training with a specialty in musical theatre performance. The Conservatory is a professional school with five main programs: The Two Year Professional Training Program (opening in Fall 2009), The Summer Professional Six Week Comprehensive, The Summer Pre-College Program, The Sept-May NYC High School Program, and the NYU Tisch School of the Arts Undergraduate Drama training program.  The CAP21 Conservatory is now world renowned. Currently, through its various programs, the Conservatory annually trains over 400 emerging performers who come from the United States and internationally.  The Conservatory maintains a teaching faculty of 75 working professionals.

Since 1995, over 70 CAP21 alums have been cast in more than 79 different Broadway shows including A Catered Affair, A Chorus Line, Annie Get Your Gun, Cabaret, Curtains, Cry-Baby, The Crucible, 42nd Street, Fosse, The Full Monty, Gypsy, Hairspray, In the Heights, Jane Eyre, Jersey Boys, Legally Blonde, The Light in the Piazza, Little Shop of Horrors, Mamma Mia, Man of La Mancha, Mary Poppins, Les Miserables, Oklahoma!, The Producers, The Radio City Rockettes,  Rent, South Pacific, Spamalot, Spring Awakening, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Wicked, The Woman in White, and Young Frankenstein. In addition, hundreds of alumni have been in national and international tours, regional theatre productions, Off Broadway, and principal roles in television and film.