The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, commonly shortened to Central, is a drama school founded by Elsie Fogerty in 1906, as the Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art, to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students
| Acronym | CSSD |
| Nickname | Central |
| Colour | Red |
| Founded | 1906 |
| Location | City of London, England, United Kingdom |
| Address | The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Eton Avenue, London, NW3 3HY, UK |
The mission of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (CSSD) is to inspire, educate, and train the performers, practitioners, and change-makers of tomorrow to shape the future of theatre and the performing arts.
The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama's vision statement is “To be a world-leading institution of the theatrical and performing arts”
The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (CSSD) is a renowned institution within the University of London dedicated to providing exceptional training and education in all aspects of theatre and performance. Its main objectives include fostering creativity, innovation, and artistic excellence, while nurturing talent and encouraging students to explore their unique artistic voices.
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 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 organizations and theatre companies. Students are taught by industry professionals and enjoy continuous opportunities to build their professional networks.
Studying at Central gives you access to world-class, industry-standard facilities designed for excellence. The campus features performance spaces, movement studios, rehearsal rooms, and specialised workshops. The North Block, opened in 2019, includes a studio for film, media, and digital work, plus four double-height rehearsal and production spaces, and an additional public performance venue.
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.
Entry requirements vary by course. Please review the course page for your specific course requirements.
Our minimum academic entry requirement is 64 UCAS tariff points or above. As part of meeting these tariff points, we consider a range of qualifications, including A Levels, BTECs, T Levels, and many more, which attract UCAS points, and selection by audition.
International Student:
International applicants will be subject to the same assessment criteria as UK applicants however, there may be some additional conditions of offer such as the successful visa application and meeting of English Language requirements. Visit the International Students section to view details of English language requirements for Central’s courses.
Entry requirements vary by course. Please review the course page for your specific course requirements.
Applicants for whom English is not their first language are required to prove their English language proficiency by gaining an overall score of 7.0 in an IELTS test. We do accept equivalent English language qualifications.
International Students:
Visit our International Students pages for advice and information on studying at Central and living in London, if you’re not a home applicant.
UNDERGRADUATE:
POSTGRADUATE:
Email: [email protected]
Phone : +44 (0)20 7722 8183
Accommodation: Organizing your accommodation may seem challenging, but the Student Advice Service can offer straightforward guidance and support as you decide where you would like to live during your studies.
Library: The Library has a wide range of specialist drama and theatre practice resources offered in a learning environment that is supportive and inspires creativity. Staff will help you to discover the information and resources you need to succeed and achieve as a student or researcher.
Conservatoires UK and the Federation of Drama Schools
As a director, Josette Bushell-Mingo was Founder and Artistic Director of PUSH, a Black-led theatre festival with the Young Vic Theatre. Through her work with PUSH, she was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to the arts, a Judy Craymer Award for Innovation, and the Southbank Cultural Diversity Award.
Before joining Central, he was Artistic Director of Youth Action Northern Ireland’s Rainbow Factory and Associate Director of London Bubble Theatre company. He developed their intergenerational theatre performances and was responsible for participatory projects for children, young people & adults.
He grew up in Algeria. He did my BA and MA in English and Applied Linguistics at the University of Abdelhamid Ibn Badis in Mostaganem. He arrived in the UK in 2017, where he did his MSC in Educational Research, then completed a PhD in Education in 2022 at the School of Education, University of Exeter. My thesis explored research methodology, teaching and learning and students’ experiences of writing MA education dissertations within the Algerian tertiary education system. During my time at Exeter, he worked as a student intern, research assistant, EDI advisor and a postgraduate teaching associate.
Long before the founding of the first university drama department in the UK, Fogerty argued that theatre should be studi... read more
In 1937 Fogerty was offered space on the site at that time earmarked for the National Theatre building, with the college alongside the theatre. But that scheme, like many of the National Theatre schemes, fell through. In 1957 the School at last moved from the Albert Hall, having acquired the lease of the Embassy Theatre at Swiss Cottage and its associated buildings.
In 2005 the Privy Council granted the college the power to award its own taught degrees. In the same year students from the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art transferred to Central, bringing with them the academy’s 100-year history of significant contributions to stage and screen. In that year the School was the only specialist theatre institution to win the award of Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, becoming the Higher Education Funding Council for England’s designated Centre for Excellence in Training for Theatre. Its purpose as a Centre for Excellence is to provide a national resource for vocational performing arts training and learning, a focus for theatre research and scholarship, and a site for national and international collaboration.
With effect from September 2005 Central became a College of the University of London and in so doing fulfilled Elsie Fogerty’s original ambitions. And then in 2012 came new recognition… Fogerty used to say that while the Principal of the Academy of Dramatic Art had been seeking royal title for his institution, she had been too busy working with children in the slums to do that sort of thing. But a century later the achievement of the college she founded properly got its recognition when in November 2012 Her Majesty the Queen conferred Royal Title on Central.