| East 15 Acting School | |
| Other Name: | East 15 |
| Director: | Dr Chris Main |
| Country: | UK |
| Website: | www.east15.ac.uk |
| Parent: | University of Essex |
| Affiliations: | |
East 15 Acting School, sometimes known simply as East 15, is a drama school based in Essex, England.[1] The School provides vocational conservatoire training in acting, specialist performance disciplines, theatre directing, stage management and creative producing.
The School was established in 1961 by Margaret Bury, a member of Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop. Theatre Workshop's guiding principles continue to inform East 15's teaching and productions today.
East 15 offers a number of undergraduate and postgraduate courses across two campuses, located in Loughton and Southend-on-Sea. Its degrees are awarded by the University of Essex, with which it merged on 1 September 2000.[2] [3] In 2024, East 15 (as part of the University of Essex), was ranked fourth in the UK in The Guardians University Guide rankings for Drama and Dance.[4]
It is a member of the Federation of Drama Schools.[5]
East 15 Acting School was founded in 1961 by Margaret Bury.[6]
East 15 draws its origins from the work of Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop. Margaret Bury was part of the Theatre Workshop for fourteen years before starting East 15 Acting School in 1961. She drew on the teaching methods and philosophies of the Theatre Workshop.
In 2000, East 15 found established its partnership with the University of Essex. At its inception, Essex's founding Vice-Chancellor, Sir Albert Sloman, emphasised that "radical innovation" would be at the heart of its approach, including new specialist performance courses and the creation of new facilities, including the Clifftown Theatre and a motion capture studio served by 30 Vicon sensors.
Notable graduates from East 15 include:[7]
Damon Albarn and Marc Warren attended the institution but did not graduate.