RADA gets go-ahead for 300-seat theatre and on-site student digs

RADA students will be provided with on-site accommodation for the first time after plans to redevelop the drama school’s central London studios were given the green light.

A new 300-seat theatre will also be created as part of RADA’s Attenborough Project, which will overhaul the school’s studios on Chenies Street, situated near its main premises in Camden.

Planning permission for the project – which was sought last year – was approved by Camden Council at a planning meeting on April 12.

The new theatre will be named the Richard Attenborough Theatre after the school’s former president. A new public space will also open as part of the redevelopment, while RADA’s library and archives will be improved.

The on-site accommodation will be available to 60 students and will allow RADA to “continue to offer places to the most talented students irrespective of financial background”, the school’s director Edward Kemp said.

“We are delighted that we are a step closer to realising our exciting plans for RADA Studios. The Attenborough Theatre will provide a state-of-the-art performance venue for audiences and events in Camden, and a space for the next generation of innovative theatremakers to showcase their work,” he added.

The cost of the project, designed by architects Haines Phillips, has not been disclosed.

The Chenies Street site was acquired by RADA in 2012.