ARTTS International

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ARTTS International was a multi-discipline film, theatre and stage training centre in Bubwith, Yorkshire established by John Sichel in 1990. The centre ran for 15 years until his death in 2005, during which time over 500 students trained there, most of whom have since found work in the entertainment industry.

HISTORY

After working many years in the television and theatre industry, Producer John Sichel fell out with the commissioners at the BBC due to his opinionated and strong views for quality over quantity and lack of originality in content being produced.

In order to find what he felt would be a forum for creative output, John, along with co-founder and wife Elfie Sichel, converted a disused pig farm into a professional television, film, theatre and radio teaching facility, with the idea that you learn by doing, not reading about.

ARTTS opened in 1990 with 12 trainees, most of whom were interviewed before the facility had even been built. One of these trainees, Geoffrey Bicker, went on to become ARTTS Technical Director for over 10 years, and throughout this time ARTTS stood by its proud "94% Employment Record".

Its on site training contained a 200 seater theatre, three television studios, a radio studio and full location equipment for television and 16mm and 35mm film. With an emphasis on the personal as well as the professional trainees were pushed to learn the essentials for how to keep and maintain a job and reputation as someone continually employable whilst being creative and enthusiastic.

Despite its constant financial battles, ARTTS continued to educate around 60 trainees a year from all over the world.

On April 5 2005, John Sichel passed away and despite attempts to continue this legacy, spearheaded by not only Elfie but their daughters Katrina Sichel and Tanya Byron and former graduates Derek Donohoe and Geoffrey Bicker, ARTTS closed down six months afterwards.

TRAINEES

Below is a list of some of the trainees who graduated from ARTTS International. Please add any missing names.

1990 Geoffey Bicker, Bruce Byron, John Nolan

1991 Colin Bradie, Louise Hartley, Stuart Smith, Debbie Williams

1992 Carolyn Graham, Adrian Mitchell, Ian Moore, Kate Wilcock

1993 Derek Donohoe, Mark Ingliss, Kate Norcross, Stuart Reid, Martin Roberts

1994 Dominic Bristow, Ian Burgin, Amanda Castile, Nasreen Chafekar, David Llewelyn Child, Melanie Short, Jim Thompson, Melanie Thompson

1995 Scot Cavanagh

1996 Rashna Abdi, Adrian Callan, Sarah Hardy, Tom McCorrdall, Mike Montgomery, Rachel Packer Dipti Paul, Nick Von Schlippe, James Smith, Jerome Tait

1997 John E.Bull, Hope McIntyre, Elisabeth Poulsom

1998 Matthew Gee, Matthew Gregory, David Mildon

1999 Darren Beaumont (winner of the outstanding achievement award 99/00), Kerry Finlayson, Cameron Mackness, Yvette Reigen, Gemma Robinson, Jonathan Winfield

2000 Mickey Acorn, Selina Asombang, Max Brunold, Ingolf Busse, Patrick Cedrell, Elke Costa, Elena Cherodnychenko, John Diamond, Adele Dobson, Alice Falkingham, Lucy Gradwell, Hanna Haffenden, Edwin Hincapie, David Jenkins, Rosanna Jolkkonen, Danielle Kirk, Kati Kozikowska, Karen Longwith, Rachel Lowe, Heather MacDonald, Richard McElroy, Lucinda Mason Brown, Susanne Nielson, Susane Nunes, Lei Myo Oo, Liz Ramsden, Andrea Scriven, Nadia Shash, Helen Sutermeister, Clare Thomas, Russ Wood, Rebecca Woodhead, Sarah Woodward, Tim Young

2001 Paula Arthur, Toby Bowman, Margaret Bradshaw, Mark Brooke, Fiona Carrick, Matthew Cleghorn, Christopher Coote, Georgia Court, Sally El-Hosaini, Nicholas Evans, Oliver Fox, Sara Geoghegan, Charley Greenfield, Heidi Gower, Lawrence Hall, Leigh Hancox, Helen Henson, Su Ah Kim, Patrick Kirahi, Iain Kitching, Nico Kohen, Charlotte Lidster, Jonathan Man, Kirstie Mitchell, David Moor, Robert Murphy, Navadharshani Navaratnam, Kaisa Nuuttila, Juliet Plumptre, Joe Pedder, Will Rumball, Jon Joe Smith, Geanette Tee, Rebekah Tunster, Susanna Walker, Natalie Wharton

2002 Aman Ashraff, Helen Ashworth, Emma Atherton, Eilidh Brandon, Sarah Camp, Miranda Cheesman, Adrian Green, Mark Hopper, Matthew Howley, Simon Hudson, Sean McLynn, Lee Opie, Robert de Segundo, Amelia Jackson-Gray, Sally Rahman, Stuart Mitchell Smith, Christine Stirling, Vijay Sudra, David Truman, Jack Weatherall, Eileen Yip

2003 Lucy Adkins, Alan Gilbert-Hill, John Glancy, James Haythornthwaite, Emily Machin, Lucy Machin, Tanya Rich, Esther Vardy

2004 Clare Axelson, Graham Belshaw, Luke Bellamore, Chrissy Braithwaite, Andrew Boyle, Simon Corney, Damien Cullen, Maryam Davari, Anthony Didge, Richard Diver, Jane Donkin, Catharine Ecob, Jayne Hibbitt, Aoibheann Kelly, Helen Kirkham, James MacFarlane, Charlene Matharu, Bethan Morgan, Simon Quinlan, Rebekah Richardson, Davina Rodrigues, Lucy Timmins, Leanne Troop, Lina Wangai, Chan Wickramaratne

2005 Justin Allum, Laura Bullock, Stephen Capano, Joseph Carey, Jessica Corfield, Simon Curtis, Christopher Essoo, Robert Ewbank, Kevin Heutink, Eamonn Murphy, James Paul, Anna Pugh, Sarah Ramsden, Helene Roseby, Ian Spence, Rhodri Wilson, Amy Wright, Jack Wright