Redbridge Drama and Dance Course: ‘We’re looking for people with potential’
Providing affordable training for students aged 16 to 20, east London’s Redbridge Drama and Dance Course’s triple-threat training and extensive performance opportunities are tailored to give you the best chance of success in the performing arts
Usually, picking a performing arts training course involves compromise – perhaps on the location, perhaps on the cost, perhaps on the class sizes, perhaps on the performance opportunities.
That is not the case with the Redbridge Drama and Dance Course, though. The east London institution offers an intimate and affordable all-round, pre-degree education only half an hour’s journey from the world-class entertainment of the West End.
“The Redbridge Drama and Dance Course was founded four years ago with the express aim of providing affordable training for a handful of students aged between 16 and 20,” says artistic director Owen Smith. “And that’s what we do.”
“We never take on more than 30 in a year, and we never have more than 15 students in a class,” Smith continues. “We make sure those students have plenty of opportunities to perform publicly, too, and we do it all from our base in east London, with the country’s leading theatres only a short train ride away”
The Redbridge Drama and Dance Course has its home at the long-established Redbridge Drama Centre in South Woodford, a performing arts facility with five fully equipped studios, two theatres, dressing rooms and an on-site cafe, with close ties to the 350-seat Kenneth More Theatre in Ilford.
It offers two different programmes in partnership with qualifications company Rockschool Ltd. There is a one-year Level 3 diploma in Performing Arts (the equivalent of two A levels) and a two-year extended Level 3 diploma in Performing Arts (the equivalent of three A levels). Each programme involves triple-threat training in acting, singing and dancing – and a lot more besides.
“These days, you have to be able to sing and dance and act, but even that might not be enough,” says Smith. “It helps if you can play an instrument or two, and are able to do gymnastics – and even be comfortable with aerial performance. So, here at Redbridge, we include all of that as well. The more skills you can acquire, the more employable you are.”
Continues...
That’s not all. Every Friday is an “industry day”, says Smith, when working professionals come to Redbridge and deliver classes – in everything from audition technique to networking tactics to performing on film. And, he adds, every term culminates in a public performance.
“You learn an awful lot by putting on a show, so that’s what we do,” says Smith. “Students rehearse and perform a play. They produce a Christmas concert. They work on a Shakespeare text together. They devise a musical together. They put on a dance show. Students do it all in their time here.”
Graduates from Redbridge Drama and Dance Course are already earning places on some of the country’s most prestigious three-year, degree-level performing arts programmes and making names for themselves in the industry. But, says Smith, students’ relationship with the programme does not finish with their final exams.
“We also offer a free extra year to all our students – a ‘guided year’, during which we continue to offer them mentorship and support as they enter the industry,” he says. “They get free consultations and classes if they want them, and we offer them help to get jobs, agents and auditions.”
Classes are taught by Redbridge Drama and Dance Course’s core faculty – including artistic director Smith, head of music Deborah Goody, head of dance Noreen Banks and head of drama Victoria Evaristo – plus a range of visiting tutors with a variety of expertise and a wealth of educational experience.
The small class sizes that Redbridge Drama and Dance Course is committed to maintaining mean that students and staff get to know each other very well, Smith adds. This ensures the programme is able to provide both a high level of pastoral support, and a high degree of flexibility in structuring the course content to suit individual students.
“If a student needs a bit of extra help with their singing, then they get it,” Smith says. “If they need extra help with their dancing, then they get it. Of course, everyone is different, and everyone will always have different strengths, but here we try to
develop all our students into well-rounded performers capable of adapting to the demands of the industry.”
Continues...
And, on top of all that individual attention, the programme works hard to provide professional performance opportunities to students while they are still studying – in pantomimes, in concerts and in film projects based in the local area. At Redbridge, says Smith, students can earn while they learn.
Most students who study on the Redbridge Drama and Dance Course are based in London and the surrounding area, taking advantage of excellent transport links to commute to Redbridge Drama Centre every day, but the course welcomes applicants from anywhere, and can help arrange homestays in the local area to accommodate students from further afield.
With so much to do and so many opportunities to take advantage of, the atmosphere on the course is “incredibly focused”, says Smith, but the programme also puts a heavy emphasis on maintaining mental health. And, on the social side, there are regular events, performances, and trips to see shows in Central London.
Standard fees are £7,500 per year – or £6,000 for students resident in Redbridge, or those who score highly in their auditions – and there is a range of payment plans and scholarships available. To ensure applications are open to everyone, all open days and auditions for entry are entirely free to attend.
“We are not looking for the finished product,” says Smith, when asked what the Redbridge Drama and Dance Course is looking for from aspiring applicants. “We are looking for potential, and we are looking for people with the right attitude. We are looking for people who are willing to work hard, willing to trust their tutors, and willing to make mistakes and learn from them.”
“Studying here is hard work,” he continues. “It won’t be like Fame. You won’t be dancing down Broadway on top of a taxi. You will be training to turn yourself into the best performer you can be, developing as many skills as possible to give you the greatest chance of succeeding in the performing arts industry.”
See Redbridge Drama and Dance Course website for further details: redbridgedramaanddancecourse.co.uk
The Big Idea
The Big Idea
Most Read
Across The Stage this weekYour subscription helps ensure our journalism can continue
Invest in The Stage today with a subscription starting at just £5.99
© Copyright The Stage Media Company Limited 2025
