The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) is a leading British drama school in west London. LAMDA's president is Timothy West and its new principal is Joanna Read,[1] who recently succeeded Peter James. Celebrating its 150th Anniversary in 2011, LAMDA is the oldest drama school in the United Kingdom, and in recent years, over 98% of LAMDA's stage management & technical theatre graduates have found work in their chosen field within weeks of graduation. It is registered as a company under the name Lamda Ltd[2] and as a charity under its trading name London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.[3] There is an associate company in America under the name LAMDA in America, Inc., previously known as The American Friends of LAMDA.[4]
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LAMDA is one of the leading drama schools both within England and the English-speaking world, and furthermore conducts the most eminent set of public examinations in speech and drama. The establishments that combined to form LAMDA date from 1861, making the Academy the oldest of its kind in Britain. Having initially focused itself on musical tuition, by the 1880s LAMDA began offering speech examinations to the public. Since then, these examinations have been refined and developed into a comprehensive system of performance evaluation. LAMDA Examinations has since become as the largest Speech and Drama Board in the United Kingdom, with an international reputation. The early twentieth century saw a profound change in how theatre was created and this necessitated a change in how actors were trained. What we now recognise as drama schools began to appear, and LAMDA soon became such an institution.
In the last decade, LAMDA has made particular developments: a relocation to a larger and more visible home on the Talgarth Road in West London has enabled LAMDA to further develop the campus and training facilities; furthermore, in June 2004, the Academy became an affiliate of the prestigious Conservatoire for Dance and Drama [5]. Today the Academy is synonymous with professionally trained actors and theatre technicians. Not only are LAMDA graduated annually recognised at international award ceremonies, but LAMDA has equally gained a reputation as a source of critically acclaimed new writing with two plays (Mark Ravenhill's Mother Clap's Molly House, Meat/Money/Jesus and Di Trevis' Remembrance of Things Past) devised and first performed at LAMDA before transferring to the National Theatre and beyond. A further new work, Robin Soans’ Mixed Up North, toured as an Out of Joint production in 2009, directed by Max Stafford-Clark and featuring Celia Imrie as well as LAMDA graduates.
The institutions that combined to form LAMDA date from 1861[6] and include the London Academy of Music founded by Henry Wylde in 1867. In the 1880s the academy began offering speech examinations to the public and since then these examinations have been refined and developed into a comprehensive system of performance evaluation.[6]
Always based in West London, LAMDA moved into Tower House in Earls Court in 1946, (where it was until 2003). The MacOwan Theatre was custom-built as a performing space for LAMDA a couple of streets away in 1963.[7] Since 2003, LAMDA has occupied a building near Hammersmith, previously used by the Royal Ballet School. In addition, Having successfully purchased the remainder of the land at the western end in 2006, the Academy now owns the full footprint of the site. Since moving to the Borough, the Academy has enjoyed collaborating with the local community on a range of cultural and educational initiatives. Through a year-round programme of free theatre performances, the Academy also regularly invites residents to enjoy its work.
In 2004, LAMDA joined the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama through which it receives Government funding. All eligible students from UK / EU on the Three and Two Year Acting and Two Year Stage Management & Technical Theatre courses now receive funded places as at other Higher Education institutions. The Three Year Acting course leads to a BA (Hons) qualification. The Two Year Acting and the Two Year Stage Management & Technical Theatre courses lead to a Foundation degree qualification. The One Year Classical Acting course leads to a Postgraduate Diploma qualification (PG Dip). The Three, Two and One Year Acting courses and the Two Year Stage Management & Technical Theatre courses are validated by the University of Kent. Course content remains unchanged under the qualifications: practical, vocational training for the profession. LAMDA has a number of short courses which enable students to gain experience of the LAMDA training. The LAMDA Faculty comprises experienced permanent staff and external professionals and specialists working throughout the industry. The school also offers Foundation Courses and courses in more specialised fields, such as Directing, Movement, Design and so on.
The group work ethic is central to LAMDA's teaching. The training does not deconstruct the student in order to rebuild a LAMDA product but encourages and develops innate skills. The courses are practical not academic. Class times are Monday - Friday 9am - 5.30pm with some evening and weekend classes. All classes are compulsory. There is a minimum age requirement of 18 at course commencement and no upper age limit. The only exceptions are 2 summer schools - Audition Technique and Introduction to Drama School - for which the minimum age requirement is 16. Further information can be found on the course information pages of this site or the LAMDA prospectus.
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