Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts

The Italia Conti Academy is Britain's oldest theatre arts training school. It was founded in 1911 by the actress Italia Conti. It is the only theatre school to offer full-time in-house courses at secondary, further and higher education levels. The Academy promotes multi-skilled training, believing the more opportunities offered to students, the wider the choice of options in the work place.

The Academy grew out of the first production of the play Where the Rainbow Ends. Italia Conti, who was already an established actress and had a reputation for her success working with young people, was asked to take over the job of training the cast. The play was a triumph and the school was born in basement studios in London’s Great Portland Street.

The Academy's principle has always been to provide a thorough education and training. Staff of professional experts give students that enter the profession with the necessary professional skills, having also been encouraged to develop their social talents and to evolve a set of standards essential for personal and professional fulfilment.

Today

The Academy's main offices and studios are on Goswell Road in London, while the theatre and acting courses take place in the Avondale building, located in north Clapham. The main building houses the junior school (9-15) and also the 3 year musical theatre course (16-19), where actors and dancers are prepared for the professional stage and screen. Facilities include 152-seater Avondale Theatre, the Sheridan Studio Theatre, a fully-equipped recording studio, a TV studio, acting and movement studios, IT facilities, junior school rooms, fully equipped dance studios, a canteen, and The Italia Conti Agency.

Further Italia Conti facilities include:

• The Italia Conti Associate School Chislehurst, which provides professional classes to students aged 4-18 on Thursday and Friday Evenings and all day Saturdays at Coopers Technology College, Chislehurst. This is one of several associate schools in the UK that provides training in Theatre arts to children and teenagers.
• The Italia Conti Art Centre at Guildford, which provides training for future teachers of performing art students.
• Italia Conti Tunbridge Wells, which provides performing arts courses at the Skinners School in Tunbridge Wells, as well as a one-year course for students who wish to see if they are attracted to the profession.
• Some other schools have courses that are in association with the Academy.

Notable alumni

• Leslie Ash
• Tracie Bennett
• Lewis Bradley
• Emma Bunton
• Russell Brand (Expelled)
• Johnny Briggs
• Kelly Brook
• Naomi Campbell
• Shirley Cheriton
• Noel Coward
• Linda Davidson
• Lucy Davis
• Letitia Dean
• Peter Duncan
• Clive Dunn
• Ben Ellis
• Sadie Frost
• Jill Gascoine
• Claire Goose
• William Hartnell
• Charles Hawtrey
• Julianne Hough
• Olivia Hussey
• Patsy Kensit
• Bonnie Langford
• Gertrude Lawrence
• Emily Lloyd
• Millicent Martin
• Lisa Maxwell
• Martine McCutcheon
• Amanda Mealing
• Henry McGee
• Sheree Murphy
• Anthony Newley
• Nanette Newman
• Sharon Osbourne
• Leslie Phillips
• Jenny Powell
• Louise Redknapp
• Wendy Richard
• Lisa Scott-Lee
• Julia Sawalha
• Nadia Sawalha
• Nicholas Schofield
• Dinah Sheridan
• Jean Simmons
• Lisa Snowdon
• Lucy Speed
• Claire Sweeney
• Tracey Ullman
• Googie Withers
• Lena Zavaroni

In literature

The Italia Conti Academy is the inspiration for the drama school in At Freddie's, a novel by Penelope Fitzgerald, who taught at the academy in the 1960s.

External links

• Italia Conti
• List of Italia Conti associate schools
• The school's comprehensive list of alumni
• Italia Conti School - Chislehurst