London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art

The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art stands in Hammersmith, West London. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest specialist drama school in the British Isles. The academy moved to its present campus on Talgarth Road in 2003. The site was once home to the Royal Ballet School before LAMDA took over the buildings. Three theatres occupy the complex: the Sainsbury Theatre, the Carne Studio Theatre and the Linbury Studio. Rehearsal spaces and meeting rooms fill the rest of the campus. LAMDA is ranked first among UK drama schools by The Guardian University Guide. Its graduates appear regularly on stage at the Royal National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and Shakespeare’s Globe. Alumni have won five Academy Awards, fourteen Tonys, fifteen Emmys and forty Olivier Awards. The school also runs LAMDA Examinations recognised by Ofqual and accepted within the UCAS Tariff system. Each year one American student receives a Fulbright Scholarship to study classical acting at LAMDA. Visitors find three theatres and several rehearsal spaces on the Hammersmith campus. The Sainsbury Theatre is the largest, while the Carne and Linbury studios host smaller productions. The complex sits on Talgarth Road, once the home of the Royal Ballet School. The surrounding area offers cafes and transport links in central West London. The academy’s President is Benedict Cumberbatch and its Principal is Professor Mark O’Thomas.