Rose Bruford College

Rose Bruford College (formerly the Rose Bruford Training College of Speech and Drama) is a British drama school, offering professional vocational training for the performing arts and the BA and MA degrees. Founded in 1950, Rose Bruford "pioneered the first acting degree in 1976."Cite web | url=http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/universityguide/profile/story/0,,491262,00.html |title=Rose Bruford College |work=Education:News |publisher="guardian.co.uk" |accessdate=2008-05-02] It is "one of the largest, most comprehensive providers of vocational degrees in theatre and related arts in Western Europe."Cite web |author=CDS |url=http://sites.stocksphere.com/cds/item.asp?itemid=17&categoryid=1 |title=Rose Bruford College |publisher="sites.stocksphere.com" |accessdate=2008-05-02] According to Rose Bruford College's official website, it provides innovative degree courses in drama training, including degrees in actor musicianship, theatre directing, and European and American theatre arts, offering courses in the production departments of theatre, such as Costume Production, Lighting Design, Scenic Arts, Music Technology, Theatre Design and Stage Management.Cite web |url=http://www.bruford.ac.uk |title=Rose Bruford College Official Website |publisher="bruford.ac.uk" |accessdate=2008-05-02] Facts|date=May 2008

Organisation

Joining vocational training programmes across disciplines, Rose Bruford College enables students of different professions in the performing arts to collaborate throughout their training.Facts|date=May 2008 Students stage theatre productions in the four on-campus theatre performance spaces: the 300-seat theatre in the round Rose Theatre, the intimate Barn Theatre or the two black box studio spaces. Third year undergraduate students present their shows in London venues ranging from the Battersea Arts Centre to the Greenwich Theatre.Facts|date=May 2008

The college enjoys various international contacts with drama schools in both Europe and North America.Facts|date=January 2008 It matriculates a substantial number of international students and places its students in high-ranking drama training institutions outside the United Kingdom.Facts|date=May 2008

Rose Bruford College's vocational courses are accredited by the National Council for Drama Training, and it is a member of The Conference of Drama Schools (CDS), chaired by Principal Alastair Pearce.Cite web |url=http://www.drama.ac.uk |author=CDS |title=The Conference of Drama Schools |publisher="drama.ac.uk" |accessdate=2008-05-02] Cite web |author=CDS |url=http://sites.stocksphere.com/cds/articles.asp?articleid=48 |title=CDS Directors |publisher="sites.stocksphere.com" |accessdate=2008-05-02] The College's undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications and programmes are validated by the University of Manchester.Cite web |author=Rose Bruford College |url=http://www.bruford.ac.uk/courses.aspx |title=Courses |publisher="bruford.ac.uk" |accessdate=2008-05-02 |quote=Our undergraduate and post-graduate programmes are validated by the University of Manchester (the Foundation Degree in Organising Live Arts is validated by London Metropolitan University) and, where appropriate, courses are accredited by the National Council of Drama Training (sic) (NCDT).]

Research and Community outreach

The College's research facilities and archives include: the Stanislavski Centre; the Clive Barker LibraryCite web |url=http://www.bruford.ac.uk/college_news_article.aspx?BackTo=college.aspx&NewsID=19 |title=The Clive Barker Library Naming Event |work=College News: News & Press Releases |publisher="bruford.ac.uk" |date=2005-11-09 |accessdate=2008-05-02] ; and the David Bolland Collection, which is devoted to material about Kathakali.Facts|date=May 2008 Members or former members of its faculty serve as editors and/or on the editorial boards of performing-arts journals like "New Theatre Quarterly" (Simon Trussler, co-editor) and "Performance Prompt".Cite web |url=http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayMoreInfo?jid=NTQ&type=eb |title="New Theatre Quarterly" |publisher=journals.cambridge.org |accessdate=2008-05-02] Facts|date=May 2008

In partnership with the London V&A Theatre Collections Online, the College also sponsors and supports the web-based UK theatre audio-discussion site "TheatreVoice".

Its material relating to research, knowledge transfer, and community outreach is featured online in "TheatreFutures".Cite web |url=http://www.theatrefutures.org.uk |title=Theatre Futures: Part of Rose Bruford College |publisher="theatrefutures.org.uk" |accessdate=2008-05-02]

Rose Bruford College is not the only theatrical college to be based in Sidcup. Bird College, which specialises in dance and musical theatre, is also based in the town.

History

The college was founded in 1950 in an 18th-century Heritage-listed manor house Lamorbey House in Sidcup in the Greater London area by actress, drama tutor and author Rose Bruford.Cite web |url=http://www.bruford.ac.uk/college_history.html |title=About the College: College History |publisher="bruford.ac.uk" |accessdate=2008-05-02] Cite web |url=http://www.qaa.ac.uk/reviews/reports/subjectLevel/q114_97_textonly.htm |title=Quality Assessment Report by the HEFCE |publisher="qaa.ac.uk" |accessdate=2008-05-02] The current campus encompasses both the manor house and a modern set of buildings completed in 2002. For some time, there was also a campus situated in Deptford, near Greenwich in South East London, which was closed when the college incorporated all of its courses on the Sidcup campus.Facts|date=May 2008

Rose Bruford College serves as the setting for fictional drama school Salinger College in the 2007 TV drama series "Nearly Famous".Facts|date=May 2008

Degrees

The college currently offers courses in the following fields of performing arts training:

;Undergraduate
*BA(Hons) Acting
*BA(Hons) Actor Musicianship
*BA(Hons) American Theatre Arts
*BA(Hons) Costume Production
*BA(Hons) Directing
*BA(Hons) European Theatre Arts
*BA(Hons) Lighting Design
*BA(Hons) Lighting Programming
*BA(Hons) Music Technology
*BA(Hons) Performance Sound
*BA(Hons) Performance Video
*BA(Hons) Scenic Arts
*BA(Hons) Stage Management
*BA(Hons) Theatre Design
*FdA Organising Live Arts
*International Foundation Course ;Postgraduate
*MA Theatre Practices

;Distance Learning
*BA(Hons) Opera Studies
*BA(Hons) Theatre Studies
*MA Theatre and Performance Studies

Notable alumni

Alumni include Gary Oldman ("Harry Potter", "JFK" and director of "Nil By Mouth"), Sarah Douglas ("Superman II"), Tom Baker ("Doctor Who"), Ray Fearon (Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre), and Greg Hicks (RSC).Cite web |url=http://www.bruford.ac.uk/college_alumni.html |title=Alumni Profile |publisher=bruford.ac.uk |accessdate=2008-05-02]

Recent graduates include: Lake Bell ("ER", "Boston Legal" and "Miss Match" with Alicia Silverstone), Elaine Glover ("Footballers' Wives"), Myfanwy Waring ("The Bill", "Royal Court"), Sophie Langham ("EastEnders"), Michelle Joseph ("EastEnders"), and playwright Roy Williams ("Sing Your Heart Out For The Lads" at the National Theatre).Facts|date=May 2008 Production and Design alumni include Lighting Designer and Digital Scenographer Sven Ortel (Royal Court, "Woman in White").Facts|date=May 2008

The College has a tradition of developing community theatre and working with minorities. Distinguished Black and ethnic minority graduates, other than those mentioned above, include Trevor D. Rhone (Jamaican playwright); Yvonne Brewster (Jamaica, founder of Talawa Theatre Company); Paulette Randall (director and writer); Ben Thomas (actor, director, presenter); David Tse (director, Yellow Earth); Janet Steele (director, Kali Theatre); Alton Kumalo (South Africa, actor RSC); Femi Euba (Nigerian actor, writer, teacher).Facts|date=May 2008

One of the college's resident theatre companies, Zecora Ura, "co-founded in 2001 by Will Hudson [and] Jorge Lopes Ramos and named in 2002 after Klaus ZEhbe, Tomas COnway, Jorge Lopes RAmos and Miyoko URAyama (Edinburgh Fringe 2002)," is composed of former European Theatre Arts students.Cite web |url=http://www.zecoraura.com/members.htm |title= Zecora Ura Artists (with links to CVs) |work=Zecora Ura Theatre Network |publisher="zecoraura.com" |accessdate=2008-05-02] Quotations and excerpts from critical reviews of its productions are featured on the company's website.Cite web |url=http://www.zecoraura.com/reviews.htm |title=Press: Reviews |work=Zecora Ura Theatre Network |publisher="zecoraura.com" |accessdate=2008-05-02]

Notes

External links

* [http://www.bruford.ac.uk Rose Bruford College] – Official website
* [http://www.theatrefutures.org.uk Theatre Futures: Part of Rose Bruford College] – Official website