The History of Actor Training in the British Drama School.

In which we think about Drama Schools and University Drama Departments and work our way through ‘Falling Off A Wall: Degrees of Change in British Actor Training’ Ben Frankombe's essential paper on the History of Actor Training between the 1970s and the early 2000s. Support the show

In which we discuss how Philip Hedley came to join the first cohort of East 15 Acting School in the autumn of 1961 and examine something of the complex relationship between the school, it’s founder Maggie Bury and the work of Joan Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop. The cover shows the blue plaque which celebrates Margaret Bury and Joan Littlewood outside of East 15’s Loughton campus.  Support the show

In which we celebrate the Sixtieth Birthday of East 15 in the first of two special podcasts. The cover shows blossom in the grounds of the Debden campus earlier this year. Support the show

In which we discuss Nicolai Demidov and his School of Acting with Andrei Biziorek of the Demidov Studio London.Links for the London studio and the Demidov Association can be found here : The studio: www.demidovstudiolondon.ukThe association: www.demidovassociation.comSupport the show

In which we prepare for a new term by reading Chapter 8 of Nicolai Demidov’s book ‘The Art of Living Onstage From a Theatre Teacher’s Laboratory  Translated by Andrei Malaev-Babel and Alexandra Rojavin. The studio: www.demidovstudiolondon.ukThe association: www.demidovassociation.comSupport the show

In which we discuss the career of teacher and intimacy coordinator Ita O’Brien and understand why Michaela Coel chose to thank Ita for her work when she won the leading actress award at the 2021 Baftas. These are some of the intimacy on Set guidelines discussed in the podcast.Intimacy on Set GuidelinesBest practice when working with intimacy, simulated sex scenes, and nudityProducers to Identify whether a production may include scenes of intimacy and sexual content as part of the risk assessment; ensure that relevant departments are informed and necessary measures put in place:a. Put in place wardrobe - appropriate covering for genitalia  b. crew required for a closed set C. consideration of, and budget for, an Intimacy Coordinator.No initial auditions or screen tests are to include sex scenes or to involve nudity. Where, in exceptional circumstances, nudity or semi-nudity is required in a recall, the actor must be informed in advance and provided with the script. All material recorded must be protected and be destroyed once the role has been cast.a. The actor to sign a written agreement with the Casting Director that any recording of a nude or semi-nude audition will be confidential.b. The actor may be asked to audition in specific clothing (e.g. swimwear) required for a commercial but will be informed in advance.c. If an actor is nude or semi-nude in a recall, they may bring a support person to be with them throughout the shoot.d. The only other people allowed to be present in the audition room will be the Casting Director and/or Director/Producer, and the Reader.At point of contract all scenes involving nudity, intimacy, or simulated sex to be discussed with the actor and representative/agent, so that agreement is made with full disclosure.a. The standard Equity contract for screen productions allows the actor to agree, or disagree, to performing nude and to performing simulated sex and to choose the type of nudity the actor is willing to do (e.g. buttocks only, or full frontal).b. Actors sometimes accept a role in which their character will be semi-nude, only to find later that additional scenes have been written into the script which include full frontal nudity and simulated sex. Actors should not sign a contract for full frontal nudity and simulated sex if only prepared to go semi-nude.Directors to plainly describe and discuss with the relevant actors all scenes involving intimacy, simulated sex, and nudity at the appropriate times in the creative process:a. Before signing the contractb. Throughout the rehearsal processc. And into performanceAgreement and consent by the actor, and actors’ representative, to be given each and every time when working with intimacy, simulated sex scenes, and nudity.Establish boundaries around areas of concern, including an agreed strategy to halt the action where necessary, in rehearsals and filming on set,  such as ‘time out’.When sculpting intimacy or a simulated sex scene, for the actor and director, or the actor and director in conjunction with an Intimacy Coordinator, to follow the Intimacy On Set Guidelines as standard practice,     a. To always have a third party present, keeping the work professional, not private    b. Identify the blocking of the scene    c. Agree areas of physical touch    d. Sculpt the physical actions using plain words    e. Separately identify the emotional content of the scene    f. Integrate the physical actions and emotional content, creating a seamless intimate scene Support the show

In which we discuss the professional life of Penny Cherns.Penny trained on the Directors’ Course at the Drama Centre after completing a sociology degree at the University of Kent at Canterbury. She worked as Joan Littlewood’s assistant and then continued as a freelance director up to the Millennium in major provincial repertory theatres directing classics, modern plays and musicals. She was also Associate Director at Chester, Watford and Nottingham Playhouse and worked at the RSC, the Royal Court and the New End theatres . She directed dramas for the BBC and Channel 4 television. Abroad she directed in Barcelona (in Spanish and Catalan) and for the British Council in India and South America. She has taught international workshops in Amsterdam, Barcelona,Buenos Aires, Oslo, Brazil and Uruguay; has taught and directed in America at Brandeis, Juilliard, Yale and the University of Iowa, and in England at LAMDA, RADA, Drama Centre and the Guildhall. She gained an MSc in European Studies from the LSE and conducts Conflict Resolution workshops. She created and led the MA in classical acting for LAMDA until 2020She recently directed at the Schoolhouse Theater in Connecticut and ACT theater in Seattle. And directed The Tempest at Teatro San Martin Buenos AiresPenny is a senior fellow of the higher education authority and has acted as external examiner for Loughborough, BSSD and Mountview Academy.Support the show

In which we talk about Doreen Cannon. One of the most important figures in the history of British Actor training. With very special guests Annie Tyson and John Bechizza. John BeschizzaJohn is the Lead Acting Tutor at Rada and teaches Acting Technique and Scene Study on the BA (Hons). RADA. He trained at The Drama Centre under co-founders Christopher Fettes, Yat Malmgren and the legendary Acting Tutor and first Head of Acting, Doreen Cannon – three of the most innovative and rigorous theatre practitioners and teachers of the 20th century. The challenges of training at the Drama Centre were immense; the rewards were life-changing. It was here that some of the greatest discoveries were made under the guidance of Doreen, who as Head of Acting at RADA in 1994 offered John the opportunity to teach Acting at RADA.The techniques he provides are simple, clear and specific and when fully engaged evoke a visceral gut, heart and head understanding of the acting process. He works for one goal: to guide the actor-trainee into transforming their raw, instinctive talent into real, dependable skill.John maintains a standard of excellence in his work, evident through the specificity and rigour of his teaching. Over 27 years, this has developed into a highly practical way of working that serves the ever-changing requirements and challenges of today’s industry.Annie TysonANNIE TYSON Annie read Drama and Theatre Arts at Birmingham University before training at Drama Centre London where Doreen Cannon was amongst her teachers. She worked as an actor in regional theatre, in London and in TV and radio. Recent acting work has included work at the Octagon Theatre Bolton in Arthur Miller’s The Last Yankee, the White Bear Theatre in An Honourable Man and the Park Theatre in Hell Yes, I’m Tough Enough.At Drama Centre London she was Course Director of the BA Honours Acting Course 2002-2010. Her public productions there included All’s Well That Ends Well, Wild Oats, Mary Stuart, A Laughing Matter, Love’s Labours Lost, Richard III, The Winter’s Tale, The Second Mrs Tanqueray, Mother Courage.  She continued as an acting tutor and director there until Spring 2018  while also working at RADA. She directed Love For Love in the Vanbrugh theatre in 2013and Strange Orchestra in 2017. She directed Macbeth February 2020. She was part of the core team for the Royal Shakespeare Company’s project Open Stages, running acting workshops for Dream 16 – A Play For the Nation. She has given masterclasses in Restoration Comedy at the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama where she directed The Rivals in 2012. She has contributed to the book Approaches to Actor Training and her book for the Crowood Press, Successful Auditions will be published next spring. She is writing for the next series of Arden Performance Handbooks for Bloomsbury Methuen: Shakespeare and Stanislavsky. She regularly gives both classical and contemporary audition workshops for The Mono Box of which she is a Patronand is an Open Door mentor.    Support the show

In which we compare two experiences of the British Drama School and prepare for conversations about Doreen Cannon. Support the show

This episode includes an extract from Vladimir Mirodan’s excellent paper The first class: Harold Lang and the beginnings of Stanislavskian teaching in the British conservatoire. Support the show

In which we discuss Jean Benedetti; Rose Bruford and Lamda’s recent NSS results and why Stanislavsky really wrote his books. Support the show

In which we read Saint Denis’ essay on the application of the Stanislavsky approach, and it’s American interpretation as the method, to the plays of Shakespeare…and perhaps understand something about the ideas underpinning the teaching at the LTS and the Old Vic School. The image is of Susanne Bing as Viola. Support the show

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In which a special guest tells us the story of how a young Chinese Couple became amongst the tiny number of people who studied at the London Theatre  Studio in Islington just before the outbreak of the Second World War and of how they brought the ideas and pedagogy of Copeau and Suzanne Bing to the People’s Republic of China. Support the show

In which we look to understand something about the nature of the London Theatre Studio the school founded by Michel Saint Denis in a disused Methodist Chapel in Islington in 1936. Cover picture is of a  woolwork by Merula Salaman an actor at the LTS.Sophie Jump's PhD can be found here : https://ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk/id/eprint/9194/1/Sophie%20Jump%20PhD%20thesis%20FINAL%2027%20Jan%2016.pdfSupport the show

In Memoriam Oliver Neville 1929 - 2021. Rada's Principal from 1984 to 1993. Support the show

The image is of candidates for the Academy of Dramatic Art auditioning in 1911. Support the show

Tanmay Dhanania is an actor. He studied Nuclear Engineering at UC Berkeley and then trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He has acted in UK tv shows like New Tricks for the BBC, Indian Summers for Channel 4 and The Durrells in Corfu for itv. He has also acted in and produced independent films like Brahman Naman which premiered in competition at Sundance 2016 and became India's first Netflix Original and Garbage which premiered in the Panorama section of the Berlinale 2018 and also was acquired by Netflix. Tanmay acted in and produced the film Cat Sticks which won the Jury Award at the Slamdance Film Festival 2019 and is currently on MUBI. Tanmay is also a theatre maker and artist and has acted in stage productions and taught theatre around the world. He has a green belt in Goju Ryu karate, and loves animals, travelling and playing the flute.Support the show

An investigation into the only consistently successful institutional actor training of the 19th Century: Sarah Thorne’s Theatre Royal in Margate including an account of Winnifred Dolan’s training there in 1890. Support the show

In this episode we revisit Clive Barker’s essay from 1995: What Training - for What Theatre? And wonder how far we have come in the intervening 27 years. Support the show