"It is the only building in London dedicated to the most important element in theatre - the actor. Where would we be without it?"
Tim Pigott-Smith
The Actors Centre was founded in 1978, by a group of actors including Sheila Hancock and Clive Swift. They dreamt of a place where actors could network and support each other when they weren’t in work and where they could bring in directors from theatre, film and television to work with them without the pressure of needing to ‘be perfect’.
Early members included Judi Dench and Ian McKellen, Jonathan Miller, Richard Briers and Janet Suzman and tutors included Mike Leigh and a young Danny Boyle. Established actors mixed with recent graduates, joined in the belief that no matter what stage of their career, there was still more to learn and room to improve.
The first classes were held at Tottenham Court Road YMCA in 1980, before more permanent accommodation was found first in Wardour St then later in Chenies St.
In September 1994 our current building was opened by Sir Anthony Hopkins. A former industrial building in the heart of the West End was transformed into a creative hub serving a growing community of actors. Membership continued to rise as more and more actors took advantage of the affordable training and community atmosphere. Competition for class places became intense and concerns were raised over the varying standard of skills in those taking part. Eventually the Board of Trustees made the decision to limit membership of the centre to actors who could demonstrate a minimum level of training or experience.
To celebrate our 30th anniversary in 2008, we completed an ambitious programme of refurbishment to give wheelchair access to all our training spaces and to provide much needed air-conditioning throughout the building.
We are fortunate that our vision has been shared by many leading figures from the British stage and screen. The founding Patron was Lord Olivier, followed by Sir Alec Guinness and Sir Alan Bates. Alan Bates was an outstanding Patron, who passionately cared about the quality of acting and was a huge supporter of young actors. The Alan Bates Bursary for a recent acting graduate is named in his honour. Our studio performance space, the Tristan Bates Theatre, was named for his son, who died tragically at the age of nineteen at the start of a promising acting career. Alan’s passion and commitment to the acting profession is echoed by our Patron, Julie Walters CBE.
From its modest beginnings we have grown to occupy a unique place in the performing arts in this country. We estimate that more than 25,000 actors have taken part in workshops with us since that first class in 1980.
To find out how you can support the Actors Centre click here and to see our existing supporters click here.
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