Academy Drama School
Encyclopedia
The Academy Drama School (often referred to as the Academy) was a British
drama school
in London
. It was founded in 1985 and closed in 2007.
to pay for it". Accordingly, they devised the Full Time Evening Course, a two-year (six-term) programme which enabled students to earn a living from a daytime job, while pursuing an intensive drama training at the school in the evenings and weekends.
The school was initially located at very modest, cold and damp premises in Oxford Street
, but the rapid rise in demand for the Evening Course soon necessitated a move to its long-term location in Whitechapel
.
The Full Time Evening Course was always the core of the school's activities, but the Academy also established a one-year (three-term) Postgraduate Course and a one-year (three-term) drama school access course ('The Foundation Course') which culminated in a LAMDA Foundation Certificate in Acting (Level 3). A one-year (three-term) Acting with English Course was later created to help talented students with a lack of higher English skills. For these last three courses, classes were taught during the daytime.
The Academy also offered a variety of shorter courses, some oriented towards leisure but all offering the same high standard of teaching as on the main vocational courses.
The school's patrons included Richard Briers
, Edward de Souza
and Ron Moody
.
The school had its own theatre space on-site (The Andrew Sketchley Theatre), in which all in-house productions during the training were performed. However, those graduating the Full Time and Postgraduate courses had their final production presented at a London fringe
venue. There was also a showcase
staged for these graduates, which was presented to an invited audience of agents
and casting directors
at a West End
theatre (venues for this included the Fortune Theatre
and the Duchess Theatre
).
Tim Reynolds died in 2006, and after 20 years of struggle, the Academy was finally forced into receivership in the face of mounting financial difficulties.
A statement on the school's official website read: "Following the tragic death of the principal, Tim Reynolds, the Academy closed in January 2007. His widow, Judith would like to thank everyone in the industry and most especially the graduate students who have been so supportive. Tim was very proud of them and their success, they are his memorial."
, called The Actor Works. The new school offers a full-time evening course, a foundation course in acting and a postgraduate course in a similar tradition to the Academy. A new Part-Time acting course began in January 2007, and various part-time specialist courses for professional actors are due to start in January 2009.
At the inception of The Actor Works on the 18th of December 2006, all mid-course Academy students were offered places and given the opportunity to complete their training at the new school. The great majority accepted a place at The Actor Works. Many former Academy tutors also joined the staff of the new establishment. The school is now in its third year of existence, having auditioned and accepted full complements of new Full-Time students who began their training in 2007 and 2008.
and the Royal National Theatre
, or in successful plays and musicals in London's West End
and on national/international tours. Others have appeared in films, or in television shows ranging from Doctor Who
to Little Britain
to Band of Brothers.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
drama school
Drama school
A drama school or theatre school is an undergraduate and/or graduate school or department at a college or university; or a free-standing institution ; which specialises in the pre-professional training in drama and theatre arts, such as acting, design and technical theatre, arts administration, and...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. It was founded in 1985 and closed in 2007.
History
The Academy was founded by the late Tim Reynolds and his wife Judith in 1985 as the Evening Academy of Dramatic Art (EADA). They saw the need for a drama school offering "full and professional instruction for those with the desire and talent, but not the money or local authority grantGrant (money)
Grants are funds disbursed by one party , often a Government Department, Corporation, Foundation or Trust, to a recipient, often a nonprofit entity, educational institution, business or an individual. In order to receive a grant, some form of "Grant Writing" often referred to as either a proposal...
to pay for it". Accordingly, they devised the Full Time Evening Course, a two-year (six-term) programme which enabled students to earn a living from a daytime job, while pursuing an intensive drama training at the school in the evenings and weekends.
The school was initially located at very modest, cold and damp premises in Oxford Street
Oxford Street
Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, United Kingdom. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, as well as its most dense, and currently has approximately 300 shops. The street was formerly part of the London-Oxford road which began at Newgate,...
, but the rapid rise in demand for the Evening Course soon necessitated a move to its long-term location in Whitechapel
Whitechapel
Whitechapel is a built-up inner city district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London, England. It is located east of Charing Cross and roughly bounded by the Bishopsgate thoroughfare on the west, Fashion Street on the north, Brady Street and Cavell Street on the east and The Highway on the...
.
The Full Time Evening Course was always the core of the school's activities, but the Academy also established a one-year (three-term) Postgraduate Course and a one-year (three-term) drama school access course ('The Foundation Course') which culminated in a LAMDA Foundation Certificate in Acting (Level 3). A one-year (three-term) Acting with English Course was later created to help talented students with a lack of higher English skills. For these last three courses, classes were taught during the daytime.
The Academy also offered a variety of shorter courses, some oriented towards leisure but all offering the same high standard of teaching as on the main vocational courses.
The school's patrons included Richard Briers
Richard Briers
Richard David Briers, CBE is an English actor whose career has encompassed theatre, television, film and radio.He first came to prominence as George Starling in Marriage Lines in the 1960s, but it was in the following decade when he played Tom Good in the BBC sitcom The Good Life that he became a...
, Edward de Souza
Edward de Souza
Edward James de Souza is a British character actor and graduate of RADA with ethnic Portuguese Indian and English origins.-Early life:...
and Ron Moody
Ron Moody
Ron Moody is an English actor.- Personal life :Moody was born in Tottenham, North London, England, the son of Kate and Bernard Moodnick, a studio executive. His father was of Russian Jewish descent and his mother was a Lithuanian Jew. He is a cousin of director Laurence Moody and actress Clare...
.
The school had its own theatre space on-site (The Andrew Sketchley Theatre), in which all in-house productions during the training were performed. However, those graduating the Full Time and Postgraduate courses had their final production presented at a London fringe
Fringe theatre
Fringe theatre is theatre that is not of the mainstream. The term comes from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which name comes from Robert Kemp, who described the unofficial companies performing at the same time as the second Edinburgh International Festival as a ‘fringe’, writing: ‘Round the fringe...
venue. There was also a showcase
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
staged for these graduates, which was presented to an invited audience of agents
Talent agent
A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, film directors, musicians, models, producers, professional athletes, writers and other people in various entertainment businesses. Having an agent is not required, but does help the artist in getting jobs...
and casting directors
Casting (performing arts)
In the performing arts, casting is a pre-production process for selecting a cast of actors, dancers, singers, models and other talent for a live or recorded performance.-Casting process:...
at a West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
theatre (venues for this included the Fortune Theatre
Fortune Theatre
The Fortune Theatre is a 432 seat West End theatre in Russell Street, near Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, built in 1922-4 by Ernest Schaufelberg for impresario Laurence Cowen. The façade is principally bush hammered concrete, with brick piers supporting the roof...
and the Duchess Theatre
Duchess Theatre
The Duchess Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, London, located in Catherine Street, near Aldwych.The theatre opened on 25 November 1929 and is one of the smallest 'proscenium arched' West End theatres. It has 479 seats on two levels....
).
Tim Reynolds died in 2006, and after 20 years of struggle, the Academy was finally forced into receivership in the face of mounting financial difficulties.
A statement on the school's official website read: "Following the tragic death of the principal, Tim Reynolds, the Academy closed in January 2007. His widow, Judith would like to thank everyone in the industry and most especially the graduate students who have been so supportive. Tim was very proud of them and their success, they are his memorial."
The Actor Works
On the closure of the Academy, then principal Daniel Brennan established a new drama school in WappingWapping
Wapping is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets which forms part of the Docklands to the east of the City of London. It is situated between the north bank of the River Thames and the ancient thoroughfare simply called The Highway...
, called The Actor Works. The new school offers a full-time evening course, a foundation course in acting and a postgraduate course in a similar tradition to the Academy. A new Part-Time acting course began in January 2007, and various part-time specialist courses for professional actors are due to start in January 2009.
At the inception of The Actor Works on the 18th of December 2006, all mid-course Academy students were offered places and given the opportunity to complete their training at the new school. The great majority accepted a place at The Actor Works. Many former Academy tutors also joined the staff of the new establishment. The school is now in its third year of existence, having auditioned and accepted full complements of new Full-Time students who began their training in 2007 and 2008.
Alumni
Graduates of the Academy's various courses have gone on to work for esteemed theatre institutions such as the Royal Shakespeare CompanyRoyal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
and the Royal National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
, or in successful plays and musicals in London's West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
and on national/international tours. Others have appeared in films, or in television shows ranging from Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
to Little Britain
Little Britain
Little Britain is a British character-based comedy sketch show which was first broadcast on BBC radio and then turned into a television show. It was written by comic duo David Walliams and Matt Lucas...
to Band of Brothers.