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Old Vic Theatre School revives undergraduate training provision
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School is launching new theatre courses for aspiring actors a year after scrapping its undergraduate degrees.
The 80-year-old renowned drama school, whose alumni include Olivia Colman, Daniel Day-Lewis and Erin Doherty, announced in January 2025 that its undergraduate training model was “financially unsustainable” and paused applications to its three-year BA Professional Acting programme.
The news sent shock through the theatre world, with figures such as former Royal Shakespeare Company acting artistic director Erica Whyman describing it as a “sad wake-up call” and evidence of a wider “decimation” of arts education.
Now Bristol Old Vic Theatre School is launching a new set of foundation courses offering introductions to acting, singing, musical theatre, movement, stage combat and screen acting techniques, starting in September.
Amid turbulent times within the arts, school principal Stuart Harvey said the new two-term and three-term courses, as well as bringing back its ten-week summer intensive programme, are the first steps in a journey to a stable future for the theatre school, with bursaries planned to improve accessibility.
A cornerstone of the city’s theatre scene since 1944, the prestigious Bristol Old Vic Theatre School mounts professional-standard productions at venues across our city – photo: Craig Fuller
In a statement, Harvey said: “A year ago we made some very difficult decisions, which ricocheted around the drama school community and echoed far beyond.
“This was based on our financial stability and the vulnerability of the higher education sector and the funding model we have to deliver against.
“Like many higher education institutions we are not out of choppy waters yet, but we’re doing everything we can to build a route to a stable and positive future for our school.
“The new Acting Foundation courses are the first step in that roadmap, and we’re very excited to be launching them now.
“Our aspiration is to make this ‘foundation’ of professional training for aspiring actors as accessible and beneficial as possible.
“We’ve scrapped audition fees for these courses and we’re working towards a target of 50 per cent of all places on the two-term and three-term courses having 50 per cent bursary funding for the students’ fees.”
For more information about Bristol Old Vic Theatre School’s Acting Foundation courses, visit oldvic.ac.uk/acting-foundation-courses
Main photo: Betty Woolerton
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