Drama Centre London facts for kids

Drama Centre London was a famous drama school in King's Cross, England. It was often called Drama Centre for short. This school was part of Central Saint Martins, which is a college of the University of the Arts London.

The school moved to King's Cross in 2011. After a review in 2020, the school decided to close. Its last students graduated in 2022. While it was open, Drama Centre London was a member of the Federation of Drama Schools. It offered courses for students to become actors, including both undergraduate and master's degrees.

History of Drama Centre London

Drama Centre London started in 1963. It was founded by a group of teachers and students. They came from another school called the Central School of Speech and Drama. Key leaders were John Blatchley, Yat Malmgren, and Christopher Fettes.

The school first opened in Chalk Farm. It moved to Clerkenwell in 2004. Then, in 2011, it moved to King's Cross. From 1999 to 2020, it was a part of Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design. It offered degrees in acting, directing, and writing for plays or movies.

How the School Taught Acting

A main goal of the school was to bring new ideas from American and European theatre to British actors. Its teaching style combined different methods. It used Stanislavski's system, which helps actors understand their characters' feelings. It also used the movement ideas of Rudolf Laban. Plus, it used the character types from Carl Jung to help actors develop roles. This mix created a unique way to understand characters through movement and feelings.

The school also learned from English theatre, especially from Joan Littlewood. These ideas were taught as part of the long history of Western theatre, starting with the ancient Greeks. When it first opened, Drama Centre was the only drama school in England with an acting class. It was seen as the first "Method" drama school in Britain.

Training and Nickname

Because of its strict training, the school was sometimes called "Trauma Center." Like many drama schools, Drama Centre focused a lot on the work of Konstantin Stanislavski. Students also learned to improvise, which means making things up on the spot. They used ideas from the Yevgeny Vakhtangov and Jacques Lecoq traditions for this.

The school offered training based on theatre plays. This included both modern and classic stories. It also prepared actors for acting in movies and TV shows. For screen acting, it had a two-year course for students who already had a degree. In 2005, it started an MA Acting course. This course included visits to the Vakhtangov Theatre Institute in Moscow and a theatre center in Greece.

Drama Centre was the first British drama school to teach plays from Spanish, German, and French writers. This led to many connections between schools in the UK, US, Russia, and China.

Why the School Closed

In March 2020, the University of the Arts London announced the school would close. This decision came after a review found problems with how the school supported students and managed its quality. Students who were already enrolled were allowed to finish their training.

Platform Theatre

The Platform Theatre is a special theatre inside the Central Saint Martin's building in King's Cross. It can hold 360 people. The theatre has a space for an orchestra and a full flying tower, which helps move scenery. It is set up with high-quality equipment.

The theatre aims to show all kinds of performing arts. Students from Drama Centre London often performed there. Students from other colleges of the University of the Arts London also used the theatre for their shows.

Alumni

Further information: Category:Alumni of the Drama Centre London

See also

In Spanish: Drama Centre London para niños