Rose Bruford College

History

In 1950 Rose Elizabeth Bruford established The Rose Bruford Training College of Speech and Drama, with the help of poet laureate John Masefield and actors Laurence Olivier and Peggy Ashcroft, who formed part of the Board of Governors. Rose Bruford "pioneered the first acting degree in 1976".

The Kent Education Committee offered to lease to her Lamorbey House, an 18th-century, Grade II listed manor house in the Lamorbey district of Sidcup, for £5 per year (). Grants helped sustain the college in its early years, and it eventually became profitable.

The campus has since been expanded. Construction of several new buildings was completed in 2002. Members or former members of its faculty serve as editors and/or on the editorial boards of such performing-arts journals as New Theatre Quarterly and Performance Prompt.

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.

When the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts closed in April 2022, Rose Bruford offering a place to all ALRA's students.

Alumni

Main article: Category: Alumni of Rose Bruford College

College alumnus Ray Fearon followed as the new President of the College in November 2024. Bernardine Evaristo, the 2019 Booker Prize winner, succeeded Richard Eyre as college president in 2021. Other alumni include Hayley Squires, Gary Oldman, Mathew Baynton, Tom Baker, Tom Hopper, Graham Hamilton, Edward Peel, Christopher Pizzey, Lake Bell, Rosalie Craig, Giovanna Fletcher, Hannah Walters, Stephen Graham, Nick Darke, Sam Palladio, Jessica Gunning, Kerry Godliman, Mem Fox, Marc Duret, Tom Read Wilson, Lauryn Redding.

Notes

References

1. {{HESA citation
2. "Rose Bruford College Official Website".
3. Rose Bruford College. "Courses".
4. "History".
5. (1 May 2008). "Rose Bruford College". [[The Guardian]].
6. "About the College: College History".
7. "Quality Assessment Report by the HEFCE".
8. (9 November 2005). "The Clive Barker Library Naming Event". Rose Bruford College.
9. "''New Theatre Quarterly''". journals.cambridge.org.
10. [https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/drama-schools-rubbish-elitism-claims-with-80-state-school-statistics "Drama Schools Rubbish Elitist Claims", The Stage]
11. "Student Satisfaction up at Drama Schools", The Stage. [https://web.archive.org/web/20140814214441/http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/2014/08/student-satisfaction-drama-schools/ Profile], thestage.co.uk; retrieved 13 May 2017.
12. (2024-04-11). "Students offered places at Rose Bruford following ALRA Drama School closure".
13. "Professor Bernardine Evaristo OBE is appointed President of Rose Bruford College".
14. "Bafta nominee Hayley Squires on I, Daniel Blake, and why working-class girls aren't victims". The Telegraph.