Schools of Drama (Article)

Until the present century entry into the theatrical profession was haphazard, the beginner usually joining an established company in the provinces. Some actors still join the profession without any formal training, but most go through a three-year course at a recognized drama school, of which there are some 30 in Great Britain, or study in a university department of drama. The leading London schools include the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), founded in 1861 under the auspices of the Academy of Music; the Mountview Theatre School, established as an amateur theatre group in 1947; the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), founded in 1904 at Her (then His) Majesty's Theatre by Beerbohm Tree; the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, now located at the Barbican Centre, founded in 1880 as the Guildhall School of Music and extending its coverage to drama in 1935; and the Central School of Speech and Drama, founded in 1906 in the Albert Hall by the actress Elsie Fogerty (1866–1945), mainly for the teaching of poetic speech, and now housed in the Embassy Theatre. In Scotland the most important school of drama is at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, founded in 1950 mainly through the efforts of James Bridie.

Apart from the recognized drama schools, for which the local authorities will give grants, there are a number of stage schools for children of which the best known was founded by Italia Conti. These are privately operated and give stage training as well as a standard education. Of recent years many polytechnics and colleges of education have introduced drama courses, but in most cases they lack the expertise and facilities of the specialized schools. Training at any type of drama school does not of itself entitle a person to membership of British Actors' Equity, a prerequisite of professional employment, which has its own methods of selection.

In the USA most actor training has now fallen within the sphere of the universities, sometimes, as at Yale, in conjunction with fully professional theatre activities. A notable early school was the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, New York, founded in 1884 as the Lyceum Theatre School of Acting and receiving charters from the University of the State of New York in 1899 and 1952. The Goodman Theatre, like many others, combined a resident professional company with a student training programme, though the drama school is now affiliated to a university. The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City, formally founded in 1928, grew out of efforts to enrich the lives of neighbourhood children. It offers a two-year apprenticeship under teachers who are theatre professionals. On the West Coast, the Pasadena Playhouse College of Theatre Arts was also opened in 1928, and eventually was allowed to grant academic degrees in theatre arts. The Actors' Studio, founded in 1947 by Elia Kazan and others, is another important training ground for theatre professionals. Many actors have set up their own schools to teach acting and directing.

The leading and longest established French school is the Paris Conservatoire, which began in 1786 as the École de Déclamation, taking its present name in 1793. Among its first pupils was Talma and a later pupil was Samson, who returned to become one of its finest teachers. The school was reorganized after the student unrest of May 1968. The oldest and most important training establishment in the Soviet Union is the Lunacharsky State Institute of Theatre Art (GITIS), founded in 1878. Originally both a music and drama school, it became a Conservatoire in 1886, and counted among its teachers Nemirovich-Danchenko. In 1934, after many changes of name and status, it was given the name of the Soviet Union's first Minister for Education. Its pupils are drawn from some 40 different nationalities, half of them being external students already working in the theatre. In 1958 the Institute opened its own theatre building for practical work.