Rose Bruford College


Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance is a drama school in the south London suburb of Sidcup. The college has degree programmes in acting, actor musicianship, theatre arts and various disciplines of stagecraft.
The college's undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications and programmes were validated by the University of Manchester, prior to the college gaining its own taught degree awarding powers in 2017. It is a member of the Federation of Drama Schools.

History

The Rose Bruford Training College of Speech and Drama was established in 1950 by teacher Rose Elizabeth Bruford, with the help of poet laureate John Masefield, Laurence Olivier, and Peggy Ashcroft, who formed part of the Board of Governors. Rose Bruford "pioneered the first acting degree in 1976."
Initially, classes were held in Lamorbey House, an 18th-century, Grade II listed manor house in the Lamorbey district of Sidcup.
The campus has since been expanded; construction of several new buildings was 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. Among these are four venues for student productions: the 300-seat theatre in the round Rose Theatre; the more intimate Barn Theatre; and two "black box" studio spaces. Third-year undergraduate students present their shows in off-campus London venues, such as the Unicorn Theatre and the Leicester Square Theatre..
Rose Bruford College was the filming location of the television drama Nearly Famous.

Rose Bruford

Bruford was born on 22 June 1904. She was educated at Kilburn High School, and later at Bath High School — where on one occasion a verse recital was given by Elsie Fogerty, the founder and Principal of the Central School of Speech and Drama. Bruford resolved to study drama at the Central School.
While still a student, she took part in the Oxford Recitations of Spoken Verse, begun in 1923 by John Masefield. Here she met several poets, including W. H. Auden, Gordon Bottomley, Richard Church, Walter de la Mare, T. S. Eliot, Christopher Hassall, and John Drinkwater. W. B. Yeats encouraged her to speak some of his poems to the accompaniment of a small harp, and she made this part of her recitals. She graduated in 1928 with top honours for her verse-speaking. John Masefield became her champion and guide for the rest of her life.
After graduating from the Central School, Bruford followed her parents' wishes never to work in the theatre. Instead, she became a visiting teacher of speech and drama. Between 1925–49 she taught regularly at 43 different schools. In 1941 she was appointed to the staff of the Royal Academy of Music where, starting with seven students, she built the drama course to 70 students. The Ministry of Education certified the course as a teacher-training programme. During this period, she spent three days per week at the Royal Academy of Music, and two teaching mime at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
In 1948 her first book, Speech and Drama, was published and was well-received. Meanwhile, she wanted better conditions and premises for her course at the Royal Academy of Music, but some of her views conflicted with those of the principal. She resigned; although she had little money, she began preparing to found her own school. The Kent Education Committee offered to rent her the mansion in Lamorbey Park for £5 per year. Bruford and other college staff established a training programme. Grants helped sustain the college in its early years, and it eventually became profitable.

Academics

Degree programmes and courses

The college currently offers courses in the following fields of performing arts training:
Undergraduate
Postgraduate
Certificate of Higher Education
Online learning
Research degrees
Part-time, Foundation, summer, and youth programmes

Student satisfaction

In 2014, The Stage reported that 91.6% of Rose Bruford students were from state schools. In the same year, Rose Bruford College scored an overall satisfaction rating of 90% in the National Student Survey.
Rose Bruford College rated 87% for overall student satisfaction in the 2013 National Student Survey. Rose Bruford College rated 86% in 2012 and 79% in 2011.

Research and community outreach

The college's research facilities and archives include: the Stanislavski Centre; the Clive Barker Library; and the David Bolland Collection, which is devoted to material about Kathakali. Members or former members of its faculty serve as editors and/or on the editorial boards of performing-arts journals like New Theatre Quarterly and Performance Prompt.
In partnership with the London V&A Theatre Collections Online, the College also sponsors and supports TheatreVoice, an Internet forum about theatre sound.
Its material relating to research, knowledge transfer, and community outreach is featured online in TheatreFutures.

Alumni

Among the college's alumni are Gary Oldman, Tom Baker, Lake Bell, Rosalie Craig, Richard Eyre, Hayley Squires, Giovanna Fletcher, Stephen Graham, Nick Darke and Sam Palladio.
In 2018, Bruford graduate Gary Oldman won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in the film Darkest Hour. In the same year, Rosalie Craig won Best Musical Performance at the Evening Standard Awards for the lead role of 'Bobbi' in a revival of the Stephen Sondheim musical Company. This is the second time she has received the award.
In 2017 Hayley Squires was nominated for Best Supporting Actress by BAFTA for her role of Katie in I, Daniel Blake.