Italia Conti Academy
Encyclopedia
The Italia Conti Academy is a theatre arts training school
based in London. It was founded in 1911 by actress Italia Conti (Italia Emily Stella Conti, 1873–1946). The Academy promotes multi-skilled training, believing the more opportunities offered to students, the wider the choice of options in the work place.
The Academy grew out of the first production of the play Where the Rainbow Ends. Italia Conti, who was already an established actress and had a reputation for her success working with young people, was asked to take over the job of training the cast. The play was a triumph and the school was born in basement studios in London’s Great Portland Street
.
The Academy's principle has always been to provide a thorough education and training. Staff of professional experts give students that enter the profession with the necessary professional skills, having also been encouraged to develop their social talents and to evolve a set of standards essential for personal and professional fulfilment.
The 3 year course is University accredited and students graduate with a Bachelor of Arts
degree in Acting.
Much of the work on the course is dedicated to vocal and physical training, and to the exploration of a range of techniques for creating and developing character, and for working flexibly and responsively in the space. Part of the course teaches students to be original and individual in their work, to reinvent old techniques and develop new ones.
The course tries to make available the widest possible range of ideas, and training methods, so that each student may construct a personal way of working, which will continue to develop throughout their life.
The course also aims to produce flexible performers who can work in as wide a range of styles or media as possible. Having said that, the course does have underlying theories of training and performance, as well as clear philosophies about the roles of drama in society, which permeate the teaching.
) qualifications in 2006, the Academy felt it relevant to provide students with the opportunity to take these examinations. The course follows the same path as the Performing Arts Course but also encourporates the teacher training by offering the FDI (Foundation in Dance Instruction) qualifications in Classical Ballet, Tap and Modern. This allows students to become qualified dance teachers to teach up to grade 5 in the I.S.T.D syllabus.
Aspects of this course include:
Dance, Acting, Singing, Contextual Studies and Additional Content such as I.S.T.D examinations, PGCE work, latin dance, music, performance, pilates
, presentation and professional skills, stage combat, video production and theatre in education production.
, Barbican
, London and is home to the Performing Arts Course, Intensive Performing Arts Course, Singing Course and Theatre Arts School. The building covers nine levels and has 18 dance, acting and singing studios, all fully equipped with sprung floors, full length mirrors, ballet barres and sound systems. Italia Conti House also offers lecture rooms, academic school rooms, specialist classrooms, an art room, a video studio and editing suite, an IT suite, a resource library, first aid and treatment room, dressing room, student common room and a canteen.
, London. The impressive Edwardian building was the home of all courses before the Academy moved to Goswell Road and now hosts the acting courses. The building features the Avondale Theatre, which can be adapted for a variety of productions and seats an audience of up to 152. The theatre has fully retractable seating which can be moved to offer one of London's largest rehearsal spaces. In addition, the Avondale building also have use of the Sheridan Studio Theatre, three acting and movement studios, a fully equipped recording studio, a sound studio, a TV edit studio, green room, IT facilities, a library, property store rooms, dressing rooms and student social spaces.
and houses the Performing Arts with Dance Teacher Training Course, as well as part time associate courses. The Arts Centre is modern and well equipped with 7 spacious, air conditioned studios with sprung floor and mirrors.. Other facilities at the Arts Centre include a dancewear shop, a recording and video studio with editing suite, A class room, lounge and cafeteria area, student common rooms and changing rooms. In addition, the center is also able to offer a limited number of flats for first year student accommodation which are situated above the Arts Centre itself.
, who taught at the academy in the 1960s.
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...
based in London. It was founded in 1911 by actress Italia Conti (Italia Emily Stella Conti, 1873–1946). The Academy promotes multi-skilled training, believing the more opportunities offered to students, the wider the choice of options in the work place.
The Academy grew out of the first production of the play Where the Rainbow Ends. Italia Conti, who was already an established actress and had a reputation for her success working with young people, was asked to take over the job of training the cast. The play was a triumph and the school was born in basement studios in London’s Great Portland Street
Great Portland Street
Great Portland Street is a street in the West End of London. Linking Oxford Street with Albany Street and the busy A501 Marylebone Road and Euston Road, the road forms the boundary between Fitzrovia to the east and Marylebone to the west...
.
The Academy's principle has always been to provide a thorough education and training. Staff of professional experts give students that enter the profession with the necessary professional skills, having also been encouraged to develop their social talents and to evolve a set of standards essential for personal and professional fulfilment.
BA (Hons) Acting
The Acting Course consists of 3 years of full time professional training, available to students 18+. It is based in Italia Conti's Avondale Building in Clapham. The course is run by Chris White who has brought in many notable staff and directors such as Kate Williams, Karen Henthorn, Dugald Bruce-Lockhart, Aoife Smyth, Hannah Kaye, Samuel Oatley, Dominic Colenso, Rae McKen and Richard Baron.The 3 year course is University accredited and students graduate with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in Acting.
Much of the work on the course is dedicated to vocal and physical training, and to the exploration of a range of techniques for creating and developing character, and for working flexibly and responsively in the space. Part of the course teaches students to be original and individual in their work, to reinvent old techniques and develop new ones.
The course tries to make available the widest possible range of ideas, and training methods, so that each student may construct a personal way of working, which will continue to develop throughout their life.
The course also aims to produce flexible performers who can work in as wide a range of styles or media as possible. Having said that, the course does have underlying theories of training and performance, as well as clear philosophies about the roles of drama in society, which permeate the teaching.
Performing Arts Course
The Performing Arts Course is a 3 year full time course available to students 16+ which takes place at Italia Conti House and is accredited by the C.D.E.T (Council for Dance Education and Training). It is designed for students who require an all round training in performing arts. The course aims to produce confident, artistic and multi-skilled performers who are equipped to deal with the fast paced industry. Emphasis is on training in the three main art forms; acting, singing and dancing.Intensive Course
The intensive Course is a full time one year course for students 16+ and takes place at Italia Conti House. The course is designed to demonstrate the main areas in performing arts and, similarly to the diploma course, this course focuses on the three core skills of singing, acting and dancing. It can be useful for preparation for longer term training in performing arts or for those with pre-existing skills to add a professional edge such as post-graduate students who wish to add technical or performance skills to their theoretical knowledge or gap year students who wish to experience performing arts training before making a definite decision as to which further training path they wish to take. This course works closely with students on the Performing Arts 3 year diploma course and therefore they share many learning and performance experiences together. The course aims to develop technical skills, artistic interpretation and a sense of performance. Students who successfully complete the course graduate with the Academy Diploma. Students who achieve the necessary skills are also given the opportunity throughout the course to take external examinations in theatre disciplines which are recognised by outside boards.Performing Arts with Dance Teacher Training Course
The Performing Arts with Dance Teacher Training is a 3 year full time course for students aged 16+ and takes place at the Italia Conti Arts Centre. This course is designed to train students to become performers and dance teachers by providing performing arts training and dance teaching qualifications. With the introduction of the I.S.T.D (Imperial Society of Teachers of DancingImperial Society of Teachers of Dancing
The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing is a leading dance teaching and examination board based in London, England and operating internationally. Established on 25 July 1904 as the Imperial Society of Dance Teachers, it changed to its current name in 1925 and is now a registered educational...
) qualifications in 2006, the Academy felt it relevant to provide students with the opportunity to take these examinations. The course follows the same path as the Performing Arts Course but also encourporates the teacher training by offering the FDI (Foundation in Dance Instruction) qualifications in Classical Ballet, Tap and Modern. This allows students to become qualified dance teachers to teach up to grade 5 in the I.S.T.D syllabus.
Aspects of this course include:
Dance, Acting, Singing, Contextual Studies and Additional Content such as I.S.T.D examinations, PGCE work, latin dance, music, performance, pilates
Pilates
Pilates is a physical fitness system developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates in Germany, the UK and the USA. As of 2005, there were 11 million people practicing the discipline regularly and 14,000 instructors in the United States....
, presentation and professional skills, stage combat, video production and theatre in education production.
Buildings and facilities
The Academy is constantly growing and has expanded to three different sites to accommodate the variety of courses they offer:Italia Conti House
The main centre 'Italia Conti House', commonly referred to as 'mainschool', is based in Goswell RoadGoswell Road
Goswell Road is a road in the south of the London Borough of Islington. It runs north from the border of the City of London through Clerkenwell, crossing Old Street to The Angel....
, Barbican
Barbican
A barbican, from medieval Latin barbecana, signifying the "outer fortification of a city or castle," with cognates in the Romance languages A barbican, from medieval Latin barbecana, signifying the "outer fortification of a city or castle," with cognates in the Romance languages A barbican, from...
, London and is home to the Performing Arts Course, Intensive Performing Arts Course, Singing Course and Theatre Arts School. The building covers nine levels and has 18 dance, acting and singing studios, all fully equipped with sprung floors, full length mirrors, ballet barres and sound systems. Italia Conti House also offers lecture rooms, academic school rooms, specialist classrooms, an art room, a video studio and editing suite, an IT suite, a resource library, first aid and treatment room, dressing room, student common room and a canteen.
Avondale
The BA (Hons) Acting Course takes place in the 'Avondale' building, in ClaphamClapham
Clapham is a district in south London, England, within the London Borough of Lambeth.Clapham covers the postcodes of SW4 and parts of SW9, SW8 and SW12. Clapham Common is shared with the London Borough of Wandsworth, although Lambeth has responsibility for running the common as a whole. According...
, London. The impressive Edwardian building was the home of all courses before the Academy moved to Goswell Road and now hosts the acting courses. The building features the Avondale Theatre, which can be adapted for a variety of productions and seats an audience of up to 152. The theatre has fully retractable seating which can be moved to offer one of London's largest rehearsal spaces. In addition, the Avondale building also have use of the Sheridan Studio Theatre, three acting and movement studios, a fully equipped recording studio, a sound studio, a TV edit studio, green room, IT facilities, a library, property store rooms, dressing rooms and student social spaces.
Italia Conti Arts Centre
The 'Italia Conti Arts Centre' is situated in GuildfordGuildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
and houses the Performing Arts with Dance Teacher Training Course, as well as part time associate courses. The Arts Centre is modern and well equipped with 7 spacious, air conditioned studios with sprung floor and mirrors.. Other facilities at the Arts Centre include a dancewear shop, a recording and video studio with editing suite, A class room, lounge and cafeteria area, student common rooms and changing rooms. In addition, the center is also able to offer a limited number of flats for first year student accommodation which are situated above the Arts Centre itself.
Associate Schools
Listed below are the locations of many associate school branches which take place around the country and provide courses in part time performing arts training:- Italia Conti Associates London at Italia Conti House, Barbican, London
- Italia Conti Associates Clapham at Avondale, Clapham, London
- Italia Conti Associates Guildford at Italia Conti Arts Centre, Guildford, Surrey
- Italia Conti Associates ChislehurstChislehurstChislehurst is a suburban district in south-east London, England, and an electoral ward of the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...
at Coopers Technology College, Chislehurst, Kent - Italia Conti Associates Plymouth at Lipson Community College, Plymouth, Devon
- Italia Conti Associates Coulsdon at Coulsdon College, Old Coulsdon, Surrey
- Italia Conti Associates Newbury at St Gabriels School, Newbury, Berkshire
- Italia Conti Associates WokinghamWokinghamWokingham is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire in South East England about west of central London. It is about east-southeast of Reading and west of Bracknell. It spans an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 30,403...
at St Crispin's SchoolSt Crispin's SchoolSt Crispin's School, founded in 1953, is a co-educational comprehensive school in Wokingham, Berkshire, England, catering for pupils between 11 and 18 years of age. There were 1,130 students at the school in 2011, of whom 190 were in the Sixth Form...
, Wokingham, Berkshire - Italia Conti Associates Wimbledon at Wimbledon Community Centre, London
- Italia Conti Associates Reigate at The Reigate School, Reigate, Surrey
- Italia Conti Associates Tunbridge Wells at the Skinners School, Royal Tunbridge WellsRoyal Tunbridge WellsRoyal Tunbridge Wells is a town in west Kent, England, about south-east of central London by road, by rail. The town is close to the border of the county of East Sussex...
, Kent - Italia Conti Associates Brighton & Hove at Ralli Hall, Hove, East Sussex
- Italia Conti Associates Redbridge at Caterham High School, Redbridge, Greater London
In literature
The Italia Conti Academy is the inspiration for the drama school in At Freddie's, a novel by Penelope FitzgeraldPenelope Fitzgerald
Penelope Fitzgerald was a Booker Prize-winning English novelist, poet, essayist and biographer. In 2008, The Times included her in a list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945".-Early life:...
, who taught at the academy in the 1960s.