Study theatre in London at Central, a world-leading conservatoire

The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama offers drama, theatre and performance training and study at its London campus.
Central is a vibrant, international community. Students from approximately 40 different countries are warmly welcomed to Central at undergraduate, postgraduate and research degree level. Search our Course Finder to see the range of BA, MA, MFA, PhD and MPhil courses Central has to offer: www.cssd.ac.uk/course-finder
One of Central’s great benefits is its London location, a short distance from the West End theatre district and many fringe venues. Whether you join us for one, two, three or four years, you will have the chance to experience a richness and diversity of performance, and to make connections with leading industry professionals.
Students graduate from Central with a broad network of contacts, making them extremely well placed to advance their careers. Courses not involving placements benefit from our extensive roster of visiting professionals, who teach specialist skills and lead or work alongside students on creative projects. Where appropriate leading agents and casting directors attend student productions and showcase events.
We also provide support for international students where it's needed, making the most of our internationally diverse student body. Find out more about being an International Student at Central: www.cssd.ac.uk/international-s...
Central’s alumni are to be found in all departments of theatre, film and television, in the music industry, in education and in community arts organisations. Central graduates produce festivals and help to light, design, make, direct or stage manage shows such as the Olympic opening, closing and medal ceremonies. Our graduates also teach, research and renew their subject, finding new applications for theatre, developing new audiences, engaging with new communities and making drama count in society.
We are a specialist college for the performing arts: a college of specialists and a college for specialists: in acting, actor training, applied theatre, theatre crafts and making, design, dramatherapy, lighting, movement, musical theatre, performance, producing, puppetry, scenography, stage management, sound, teacher training, technical arts and production, theatre studies, voice, writing and much else besides. As a student, you will have the opportunity to work with specialists from a wide range of disciplines.
The cultural industries are built on creative collaboration between such specialists. This is why collaboration, collegiality and communications are core to our principles and approach. As a student or PhD candidate at Central, you will learn much from your fellow students, as well as collaborating with your tutors, lecturers and supervisors, taking an active approach to your learning or training.
We expect you to bring a sense of enquiry, along with a readiness to argue a point in an academic discussion and to have your preconceptions challenged.
At Central, we work closely with industry professionals to ensure that the way you learn is relevant to the way you will work. We also encourage you to challenge traditions, innovate and take creative and intellectual risks within a vibrant research environment. According to the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, Central ranks as the top UK drama conservatoire for world-leading research, and among the top UK universities for world-leading impact in drama research. This environment of discovery and innovation alongside the development of new knowledge through practice and scholarship informs and enriches all of Central’s activities as a specialist college of drama, performance and the theatre arts.