The Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, formerly the Webber Douglas School of Singing and Dramatic Art, was a drama school, and originally a singing school, in London. It was one of the leading drama schools in Britain, and offered comprehensive training for those intending to pursue a professional performance career.
The school was founded in London in 1926 as the Webber Douglas School of Singing, [1] by Walter Johnstone Douglas (youngest son of Arthur Johnstone-Douglas) and Amherst Webber. [1] It was created from the singing academy founded in 1906 in Paris by Jean de Reszke. [1] By 1932, the school had added full theatrical training to its curriculum, and was renamed the Webber Douglas School of Singing and Dramatic Art. [2] [3] It was located at 30 Clareville St in South Kensington.
In 2006, the academy was absorbed into the Central School of Speech and Drama. [1] Many of the academy's past alumni have formed a theatre company dedicated to keeping the original spirit of the school alive. In 2009, the Central School of Speech and Drama renamed its Embassy Studio the Webber Douglas Studio. [1]
See Category:Alumni of the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art
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The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA, is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central London, close to the Senate House complex of the University of London, and is a founding member of the Federation of Drama Schools.
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The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) is a drama school located in Hammersmith, London. It is the oldest specialist drama school in the British Isles and a founding member of the Federation of Drama Schools. The institution is ranked 1st in the UK in the "Drama and Dance" category by The Guardian University Guide rankings for 2025 with a perfect score of 100. It is also ranked 6th in the world by The Hollywood Reporter's annual list of the 25 top drama schools and is currently rated as the top UK drama school for student satisfaction according to the 2024 National Student Survey.
The Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, also known simply as Italia Conti, is a drama school based in Woking, England. It was founded by the actress Italia Conti in 1911. Italia Conti delivers courses in acting, musical theatre, and dance, catering mostly for 16+ and 18+ students through its higher education programmes, and for younger learners (3-18yrs) through its Associate Schools and pre-vocational courses.
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Anne Elizabeth "Elsie" Fogerty was a British teacher who departed from the customary practice of "voice and diction" also called elocution. At that time "Voice and Diction" focused entirely on the mouth and nasal cavity to produce speech sounds. Fogerty's technique ended up focusing on the entire body and voice to produce speech. At first, she used just the lungs to resonate the sound, but soon included the whole body, because she discovered that posture and movement also affected speech. It ultimately became known as the "Body and Voice" technique. She was founder and principal of the Central School of Speech and Drama in London from 1906 to 1942.
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Bharatendu Academy of Dramatic Arts or Bharatendu Natya Akademi is a theatre training institute in Lucknow, India. It is named after Bharatendu Harishchandra, father of Hindi theatre. It offers a two-year full-time diploma course in theatre training. It is an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Culture, Government of Uttar Pradesh.
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The Manchester School of Theatre is a tertiary school of theatre, drama and performance situated in the city of Manchester, founded in 1970. It is a part of Manchester Metropolitan University, and, in its work as a conservatoire, a member of the Federation of Drama Schools.
Tracy Ifeachor is a British television and theatre actress best known for playing the role of Aya Al-Rashid in The CW vampire series The Originals and Abigail Naismith in both parts of the Doctor Who Christmas special, "The End of Time". She played main role of duty solicitor Cleo Roberts in the BBC drama, Showtrial.
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The Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts, located in the Niederschöneweide district of Berlin, Germany, was founded in 1951 as the National Theatre School in Berlin with the status of college. In 1981, it was granted university status, and a year later it was renamed after the singer and East German actor Ernst Busch.
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This is a summary of 1926 in music in the United Kingdom.
The Federation of Drama Schools functions to facilitate vocational drama training in the UK. It was formed in June 2017.
Beatrice Augusta de Leon born Beatrice Augusta Lewisohn was a British theatre manager, dance school owner and impresario. She and Jack de Leon founded the Q Theatre funded by Delia de Leon.
Irene Mawer, was an English exponent of mime; drama; voice; and mime in education. She was later known as Irene Dale and Irene Perugini.
