Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama stands in the London Borough of Camden, a drama school founded in 1906 by Elsie Fogerty. It began as the Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art, offering new training in speech and drama for actors and students. In 2005 it became part of the University of London and joined Conservatoires UK and the Federation of Drama Schools. The Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art merged with Central in 2006. In 2012 Queen Elizabeth II granted the school its royal title in recognition of its world-class training. Past presidents include Laurence Olivier, Peggy Ashcroft, Judi Dench, Peter Mandelson, Harold Pinter and Michael Grandage. Sonia Friedman, a Central graduate and theatre producer, now holds the role. In 2008 the school’s research was judged mostly ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ in the Research Assessment Exercise. It ranks sixth among specialist institutions and ninth for drama and dance in The Guardian league tables. Over twenty doctoral candidates study there, with the first PhD awarded in 2010. The school moved from the Royal Albert Hall to Swiss Cottage in 1957. Its theatre sits inside a new extension building that earned a BREEAM ‘very good’ rating. The civic and cultural quarter around the site includes the extension replacing 1960s accommodation. Princess Alexandra of Kent serves as the school’s patron. Courses range from acting and design to drama therapy, voice and writing at undergraduate, postgraduate and short-course levels.