Manchester School of Theatre
 | This article needs to be updated. (March 2020) |
| Manchester School of Theatre | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
 | |
Arts and Humanities Building, Manchester Metropolitan University, Cavendish St, Manchester M15 6BG Manchester College of Art and Design and Manchester Polytechnic | |
| Affiliations | |
| Validating University | Manchester Metropolitan University |
| Website | Official website |
The Manchester School of Theatre (originally the Manchester Polytechnic School of Theatre) is a tertiary school of theatre, drama and performance situated in the city of Manchester, founded in 1970.[2] It is a part of Manchester Metropolitan University, and, in its work as a conservatoire, a member of the Federation of Drama Schools.[3]
History
Manchester Polytechnic School of Theatre evolved out of an early training course for drama teachers that was introduced by the Manchester College of Art and Design between 1964 and 1966. The theatre school was officially established in 1970 as part of Manchester Polytechnic under its charismatic Head of School Edward Argent and Senior Lecturer John Cargill Thompson. It was established to provide a professional training for actors that went beyond the rather staid traditions of the established drama schools: at the time, the Central School of Speech and Drama would examine prospective students' teeth, like a horse, to see if they had the teeth of a professional actor. Argent and his team believed that the authentic spirit of an actor, even if contained within a less-than-conventionally-perfect body, was more important.[2]
Based initially at the former Congregational Church on Cavendish Street (now demolished) and the adjacent former Righton's Haberdashery (which survives), in 1971 the School of Theatre moved to the
In 1992 Manchester Polytechnic changed its name to
Academic programmes
The School is part of the Department of Art and Performance at the Manchester School of Art at
In 2019, the School moved into a new purpose-built building on Manchester Metropolitan University's main campus in central Manchester known as Grosvenor East. This building maintains the facade of its predecessor, the Chorton-upon-Medlock Town Hall, which hosted the 5th Pan-African Congress in 1945. An installation pays tribute to this heritage.
Partnerships
The School has partnerships with the Hallé Orchestra, RNCM, HOME and Chetham's School of Music.[2]
Notable alumni
Notable graduates from the school of theatre include:[4]
- Zawe Ashton
- John Bradley-West
- Amelia Bullmore
- Amanda Burton
- Sue Cleaver
- Steve Coogan
- Jenny Eclair
- Burn Gorman
- Simon Greenall
- Richard Griffiths
- Graeme Hawley
- Paul Henshall
- Zoe Henry
- Bernard Hill
- Judy Holt
- Jeff Hordley
- Emma Kearney
- Matthew Kelly
- Kevin Kennedy
- Noreen Kershaw
- Elliot Knight
- Pippa Nixon
- Antony Sher
- Debra Stephenson
- John Thomson
- David Threlfall
- Annie Wallace
- Dame Julie Walters
- Assad Zaman
References
- ^ "Contact us".
- ^ a b c d e f "About the Manchester School of Theatre". theatre.mmu.ac.uk. Manchester Metropolitan University, 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
- ^ Granger, Rachel. "Rapid Scoping Study on Leicester Drama School" (PDF). De Montfort University Leicester. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
- ^ "Notable Alumni".
