Top reasons to study at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
Specialised training, preparing you for a career in the arts
Our mission is to inspire, educate and train the performers, practitioners and creatives who will shape the future of theatre and the performing arts.
Our courses are available at both undergraduate and postgraduate level and cover the entire breadth of the performing arts, from acting to production, from applied theatre to drama therapy, and from sound design to writing for film and television. We also offer a range of flexible short courses enabling young people and those in full-time work to access dramatic training.
We collaborate with the creative industries every day
We ensure our students complete their training with everything they need to launch a creative career. As part of this preparation, many of our courses offer opportunities to undertake an industry placement with a wide range of leading arts organisations and theatre companies.
Students are taught by industry professionals and enjoy continuous opportunities to build their professional networks through public facing work, industry showcases, exhibitions and more.
Students leave with a thorough understanding of the industry and a clear plan for moving forward.
Find out more about our industry connections
Our facilities support your learning
Studying at Central gives you access to a wide range of high calibre, industry-standard facilities. Our building has been tailored to facilitate our unique training and designed to support excellence. Central’s campus is made up of multiple performance spaces, movement studios, rehearsal rooms, specialised workshops and more. Our North Block building, opened in 2019, comprises a studio dedicated to film, media and digital work and 4 other new double height rehearsal and production spaces, including an additional public performance venue.
Find out more about our facilities
We’re in the heart of London, UK
Our city is home to 3,000 parks and green spaces, and our campus is based just a 10 minutes’ walk from picturesque Primrose Hill. Meanwhile, from Swiss Cottage it’s a very short tube ride to the infamous West End, arguably the theatre capital of the world. The close proximity of our campus to the industry makes Central the ideal starting point for launching a career in the arts and with all the culture, entertainment and nightlife that London has to offer, you’ll never be at a loose end.
Find out more about London life
We are an international community of creators
Our students, alumni and tutors are a global network of performance practitioners. We welcome people from all over the world to Central and in 2021-22, students came from over 65 countries to study with us.
Central students benefit from professionals sharing their knowledge and experience from across the creative industries. Some Central students will also travel abroad to undertake projects that positively impact communities in locations such as USA, India and South Africa over the last few years.
Our graduates go on to do special things across the globe including performing on stage and screen, running theatre companies, setting up organisations and innovating new performance methods and approaches in Hong Kong, Australia and India. Many international students take their learnings from Central back to their home countries to share the work, skills and experience they have gained.
Find out more about studying at Central as an International Student
Our students are at the heart of everything we do
We place great importance on the wellbeing of our community.
Our Students’ Union host multiple events throughout the academic year, often in the campus bar, a hub of Central social life. Liberation Officers support and represent students from different communities and push forward the campaigns students want to see on campus.
Meanwhile, our friendly Student Centre is there to offer support to anyone who may need it and includes the Neuro-Inclusion and Disability Centre, our free counselling service and the Student Advice Service who can help you with everything from managing finances to securing accommodation.
Find out more about our student support
Our graduates go on to amazing things
You’ll probably have heard of or seen some of our alumni. Central graduates star in and produce television, theatre, films and festivals all around the world, from theatre producer Sonia Friedman, award-winning sound designer Gareth Fry and War Horse puppeteer Toby Olié to Dame Judi Dench, Game of Thrones‘ Kit Harington, Spiderman’s Andrew Garfield and Golden Globe-nominee Riz Ahmed. While we have many alumni you might recognise, Central graduates are known throughout the industry for the calibre of work they produce and undertake in theatres, film-sets, schools and arts organisations around the globe.
Find out more about our alumni
We’ve been training the next generation of theatre makers for over 100 years
Central was founded in 1906 By Elsie Fogerty, originally in the Royal Albert Hall. In 1957, we moved to Swiss Cottage into The Embassy Theatre where we have been training theatre practitioners ever since. In 2012, Central was given Royal status, and we have developed our courses so that we currently have the broadest portfolio of theatre and dramatic arts courses in any European higher education establishment. In 2021, 75% of our research was classed as, ‘World Leading’ in the Research Excellence Framework, demonstrating how we are creating new knowledge that helps drive the creative industries forward.
The creative arts have never been more important in society as they are today, and we recognise the value that creative training can bring to individuals and communities across the globe. We are proud that Central is at the forefront of training, and that we play our part in helping to develop the future of theatre and performance.
