Offering world-class drama training through its diploma, BA (hons) and postgraduate courses, Drama Studio London provides a close-knit sense of family and easy access to the capital’s theatres as well as the University of West London’s facilities
For the profession, by the profession: that is the ethos of Drama Studio London, which has provided world-class training to actors for more than 50 years. From the moment students set foot in the rambling Victorian building in west London where DSL is based, there is a strong sense of feeling at home. School director Emma Lucia Hands likens it to “being part of a family, living in different rooms in this big old house”.
The atmosphere is warm, friendly and supportive. “The aim is to bring a lot of creative people together in one space to create theatre and to create magic. That may sound like a cliché, but when you hear a singing lesson going on in one room, Shakespeare sonnets in another, and a radio play being recorded somewhere upstairs, you realise it’s true,” Hands says.
For alumna Valentina Puggioni, “Drama Studio London is and always will be home to me”. The close-knit sense of family within the DSL building is complemented by the fact that the school is now owned by the University of West London, and students have full access to the facilities and resources of the wider university, including libraries, gyms and bars.
“You can live in two worlds,” says Hands. “You can meet students who study other courses that are very different from your own, yet you have this satellite home: an environment where everybody – from the moment they wake up to the moment they go to sleep – is talking about the latest productions they’ve been to see, and the latest practices in theatre.” The location is also ideal for a quick trip to the West End, or one of the other world-famous theatres in the capital.
What’s more, DSL is an international place, attracting students from all over the world. “We tend to find that the friendships and collaborations between students extend way beyond their years at DSL.”
DSL offers three courses for students. The one-year diploma is an intensive training ground aimed at those with acting experience, and particularly welcoming to mature students. It consists of 40 weeks of teaching, covering all the skills required for a successful career in the industry: voice, movement and acting techniques – opportunities to look at different theatrical genres, as well as film, TV and audio.
Continues...
“The course is for those who feel they’re almost ready, but just need that extra tuning of the muscles, that mindset and confidence to get them through the doors into those first key auditions,” Hands says. “Some applicants are looking to retrain after careers as doctors or lawyers – other have a first degree in the arts. That diversity of backgrounds and interests gives DSL its unique identity.”
The new MFA in Professional Acting with Independent Production is a two-year postgraduate course aimed at people who, usually, have an undergraduate degree – although Hands stresses that there are exceptions: “If you have quite a lot of industry experience you are also eligible to apply.” She adds that the first degree does not have to be arts-related. “If you suddenly wake up one morning and think: ‘I’ve spent most of my university days with the drama society rather than focusing on my chemistry degree’, come and join us.”
The MFA covers many of the same aspects as the one-year diploma, but also includes an independent production element in the second year, during which students explore an area of research and devise a piece of work. That piece can be in any form, but there is a focus on collaborating with other members of the programme to create the work. There is also the opportunity to participate in international residencies: the current MFA students are due to spend part of the spring term in America.
“It trains you to work as an ensemble as well as an individual, so it’s for actors who also want to be creators and devisers of their own work,” Hands says. “It recognises that the industry is now very interested in practitioners who have a range of skills: they are not only actors, they’re also producers or directors or writers, often setting up their own companies.”
The three-year BA (hons) in Professional Acting, in partnership with the University of West London, is for those who are passionate about becoming actors and want to train in a world-class environment. The course is vocational, consisting of 80% practical work across all disciplines (acting, voice, movement, media, preparation for the profession) with an equal split between class work and productions.
For Hands, what sets DSL apart from other training environments is the crossover between the programmes. In normal times, she says: “The postgraduates interact with the undergraduates, as well as the one-year students. They cross over at key moments, so there’s always the sense that students are part of something bigger than just their own course.”
Continues...
Drama Studio London believes that good training is about nurturing what makes each student unique, rather than focusing on any particular acting tradition or method. “We provide every student actor with a broad range of practices, directors and practitioners, whose views at times will conflict. Living in that melting pot of contrasting ideas, you can take the elements that work best for you as a practitioner, and then build your own working method, remaining flexible and adaptable to varied ways of working that you will encounter in the profession.”
For Kirsty Ferriggi, who studied on the diploma programme, choosing to train at DSL was “easily the best decision I could have made for my acting career”. She adds: “My confidence and belief in my talent has skyrocketed this year, which is all down to the nurturing environment created by DSL staff and students. It really is a family. In a year when it seemed as if the rest of the world stood still, our cohort kept driving forward, developing our craft and being pushed out of our comfort zones. I will be forever grateful to DSL.”
DSL remains committed to making drama training accessible to all. It has significantly reduced audition fees in recent years and the school is always happy to discuss individual cases. Earlier this year, the Professor Peter John Professional Acting Scholarship was announced, providing financial support for students on the BA, MFA and diploma courses.
The scholarship is for individuals who show great promise and passion for acting and who will greatly benefit from the financial support to pursue their ambitions. Two outreach officers have been appointed in the past year. Their focus is on making contact with as diverse a range of applicants as possible, as well as leading workshops and engaging in open days and recruitment events.
But, overall, the training at Drama School London is dedicated to finding out, and capitalising on, who the actor is and what they bring to the rehearsal room. This uniqueness is what they will be employed for and will be the basis of a long and successful career.
As Ben Strang, who studied for the three-year BA (hons), puts it: “My three years at Drama Studio London were intense, thought-provoking and incredibly fun. The training and experienced faculty have helped me to blossom as an actor and individual. I have been given a toolbox full of skills, a clear vision of which area of the industry I want to go into, and many wonderful friends. For that, I couldn’t be more grateful.”
See Drama Studio London website for further details: dramastudiolondon.co.uk
Invest in The Stage today with a subscription starting at just £5.99