RADA
RADA is one of the most highly respected Drama schools in the UK.
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) is a drama school located in London, England. It is one of the oldest drama schools in the United Kingdom, founded in 1904.
RADA is an affiliate school of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama and its higher education awards are validated by King's College London.[1] It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Senate House complex of the University of London.[2]
The current director of the academy is Edward Kemp.[3] The president was The Lord Attenborough (until his death in August 2014), the chairman is Sir Stephen Waley-Cohen and the vice-chairman is Alan Rickman.
RADA accepts 26 new students each year into its three year BA in acting course. Admission is based on suitability and successful audition. RADA also teaches Technical Theatre & Stage Management (TTSM) - a two year Foundation Degree in Technical Theatre and Stage Management, with admissions of up to 28 students a year. There are also specialist technical subjects through 4 term graduate certificate courses (in Theatre Design, Theatre Costume, Scenic Art (this course runs in partnership with the apprenticeship schemes of the Royal Opera House and The Royal National Theatre), Scenic Construction, Property Making and Stage Electrics and Lighting Design) and offers a Master (MA) in Text and Performance Studies taught jointly between RADA and Birkbeck College, University of London. Approximately 35 students are chosen each year for these courses.
RADA was established in 1904 and has built an outstanding reputation as a world-renowned centre of excellence, offering the best possible facilities, exceptional teaching and strong links with the industries that employ our graduates. RADA’s student population is a diverse community, united by a shared passion for theatre-making. The Academy prides itself both on the professional standard of its student productions, which are attended by agents, casting directors and theatre practitioners, and on their track-record of employment in theatre, film and television.
Notable RADA alumni include:
Gemma Arterton (born 1986), film, stage and television actress
Richard Attenborough (1923–2014), actor, director and producer
Sir Alan Bates (1934–2003), film, stage and television actor
Sean Bean (born 1959), film & television actor
Sir Kenneth Branagh (born 1960), actor and film director
Joan Collins (born 1933), actress and producer
Sir Tom Courtenay (born 1937), film, stage and television actor
Timothy Dalton (born 1946), film, stage and television actor
Brian Epstein (1934–1967), music entrepreneur and manager
Ralph Fiennes (born 1962), film and stage actor
Albert Finney (born 1936), film, stage and television actor
Sir Michael Gambon (born 1940), film, stage and television actor
Sir John Gielgud (1904–2000), actor, director and producer
Maggie Gyllenhaal (born 1977), stage and screen actress
Sir Ronald Harwood (born 1934), playwright and screenwriter
Sally Hawkins (born 1976), stage and screen actress
Tom Hiddleston (born 1981), film, television, radio, and stage actor
Sir Anthony Hopkins (born 1937), film, stage and television actor
Sir Ian Holm (born 1931), film, stage and television actor
John Hurt (born 1940), actor and vocal artist
Glenda Jackson (born 1936), actress and politician
Jack Laskey (born 1982), actor
Charles Laughton (1899–1962), actor, screenwriter and producer
Mike Leigh (born 1943), film and theatre director, screenwriter
Vivien Leigh (1913–1967), stage and screen actress
Andrew Lincoln (born 1973), actor
Matthew Macfadyen (born 1974), film, stage, television and voice actor
Steve McFadden (born 1959), film and television actor and presenter
Jonathan Meades (born 1947), writer and broadcaster
Sir Roger Moore (born 1927), film and television actor
Joe Orton (1933–1967), playwright
Peter O'Toole (1932-2013), stage and screen actor
Clive Owen (born 1964), film actor
Alex Kingston (born 1963), film, stage and television actress
Harold Pinter (1930–2008), playwright, director and screenwriter
Jonathan Pryce (born 1947), actor and singer
Alan Rickman (born 1946), actor and theatre director
Dame Diana Rigg (born 1938), stage and film actress
Liev Schreiber (born 1967), film actor, producer, director and screenwriter
Michael Sheen (born 1969), stage and film actor
Timothy Spall (born 1957), actor
Ben Whishaw (born 1980), film, stage, television and radio actor
Lucy Cardona-Gilbert Ydigoras (born 1927), daughter-in-law of Guatemala President Miguel Ydigoras Fuentes
Susannah York (1939–2011), film, stage and television actress
Find out more about RADA and their Audition requirements.
RADA also do part time courses for ages 16 plus and holiday courses.