Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art

Often referred to by its graduates as "Webber", the Academy traces its roots back to the first wholly successful drama school in Britain, which was set up in 1882 at the Theatre Royal in Margate.

Many of the most famous names in British theatre and film trained at the Academy including Angela Lansbury, Stewart Granger, Terence Stamp and Minnie Driver.

Recent successes include Sir Anthony Sher, Wayne Cater and Shelley Conn in The Roman Actor at the Gielgud Theatre, Jessica Kate Meyer in Roman Polanski's award-winning of the Evening Standard Award as co-writer / director of the film Lawless Heart.

By virtue of its location, reputation and the flexibility of its programming, the Academy has built up strong links with the profession and is able to provide experienced tutors and visiting professional directors who encourage and challenge our students. There is a strong emphasis on developing the marketing of each student's 'castability'. The success of this approach is illustrated by the consistent appearance in theatre, film and TV of its graduates who include the following actors:

Webber Douglas celebrates its centenary year in 2006. This year will also be the last year that there are students from Webber Douglas in training at South Kensington following the partnership with Central School of Speech and Drama.

Graduating Students Spring 2004

About the Webber Douglas Academy student showcase you can read in the newspaper The Stage, April 15, 2004, No 6417

Ksenia Zaitseva's photos from the Webber Douglas Academy student showcase you can see here.

Photos from the plays with the Webber Douglas Academy students

http://www.ofsted.gov.uk

Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art

Inspection of dance and drama schools in receipt of awards allocated by the Department for Education and Skills

CONTENTS
Basic information about the academy
Part A: Summary
Part B: The two-year and three-year professional acting course
Part C: Leadership and management

Basic information about the academy

Part A: Summary

Information about the academy

The Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art is an independent drama school based in South Kensington. The academy originated in Paris in 1906 as an opera training school. Since 1945, it has specialised in the training of actors, whilst retaining a strong emphasis on the development of singing skills. It moved to its present location in Clareville Street in 1926 and makes use of additional accommodation at a number of other locations in the area. The academy offers a three-year national diploma in professional acting and a postgraduate course in acting, which can be studied over one or two years. The diplomas are awarded by Trinity College, London.

At the time of the inspection in October 2002, there were 144 students, 97 of whom were enrolled on the three-year professional acting course, 13 on the one-year postgraduate acting course and 34 on the two-year postgraduate acting course. On the three-year acting course, 17 out of 27 in the first year, 15 out of 23 in the second year and 13 out of 26 in the third year were in receipt of Department for Education and Skills (DfES) dance and drama awards. Of the two-year postgraduate students, two out of 13 in the first year and two out of 14 in the second year were in receipt of the awards. None of the 13 one-year postgraduate students were in receipt of awards. The academy also has a joint summer intake for fee-paying students on two-year and three-year courses. There are currently 27 students across the three years of the summer intake courses.

There are seven full-time management and administration staff, and approximately 30 visiting specialist tutors and 25 visiting directors. The academy is a limited company without charitable status. It is managed by the principal, who is the majority shareholder. The director of studies is responsible for the management of the courses, and there are four subject co-ordinators and a postgraduate course co-ordinator.

How effective is the academy?

Key strengths

What could be improved?

Further aspects of provision requiring improvement are identified in the sections on individual subjects and courses in the full report.

Students' views of the academy
Students' views of the academy were taken into account and are summarised below:

What students like about the academy

What they feel could be improved

Part B: The two-year and three-year professional acting course

Using the Common Inspection Framework, inspectors make overall judgements on curriculum areas and on the effectiveness of leadership and management using a five-point scale. The range of grades include: Outstanding (grade 1), Good (2), Satisfactory (3), Unsatisfactory (4), and Very Poor (5).

Inspectors judged the provision to be outstanding (Grade 1).
Inspectors observed 16 classes.
Summary of grades awarded to teaching and learning by inspectors

Key: The range of grades includes: Excellent (Grade 1), Very Good (2); Good (3); Satisfactory (4); Unsatisfactory (5); Poor (6); and Very Poor (7).

Strengths

Weaknesses

Scope of provision

1. Both two-year and three-year courses aim to prepare students for careers in theatre, film and television by choosing candidates with `talent, determination and flexibility' and developing their ability to `perform with spontaneity, variety and focus, responding to the changing demands of the profession'. The courses are firmly grounded in professional theatre practice and the need not only to turn students into young actors but also to prepare them for employment. Core subjects are acting, movement/dance, staged fights, language and text, classical theatre, contextual studies, voice, speech and singing. Additional subjects include physical theatre, radio and television, dialect and business skills. All students in receipt of dance and drama awards are entered for the national diploma in professional acting.

2. There are excellent opportunities for students to take part in public performances at the academy's two theatres. Two-year students participate in three such productions, three-year students in six. In addition, each year the academy tours with productions to Louth in Lincolnshire and to an open-air National Trust venue in Maidenhead. From their first term onwards, students also perform in regular, internal productions and there are occasional performances in small-scale London venues. A small number of final-year students may be offered short film or television contracts. These are carefully negotiated with the academy and they provide valuable work experience for a minority.

Achievements and standards

3. High numbers of talented young people apply to the academy each year. By September 2002, 1,079 applicants had auditioned for the 63 places available. In classes, students are well focused, enthusiastic and energetic, and demonstrate the versatility and confidence necessary for an acting career. They are acquiring the skills necessary to control their bodies and move easily on stage, and they are learning to use their voices effectively in a range of dramatic situations. They are also developing strong singing voices. Early in the first year most are able to sing solo and in close harmony with others. Improvisation skills are good. Students have a reflective approach to performance and a critical understanding of the elements of their craft. At the same time, they have a realistic appreciation of how actors are selected for roles and of what they need to do to prosper in the profession. Students achieve very high standards in their shows. Some produce individual performances of substantial depth and conviction. They are able to create and sustain convincing characters, which are often many years older than themselves. Overall, students display an impressive command of vocal and physical technique. By their final year, they have become disciplined professionals.

4. Most graduating students enter highly-rated forms of employment. At the time of the inspection, the 46 students who left in 2001 had recorded over 80 theatre, film or television contracts. These included eight in West End productions, six in one-off television dramas and 11 in feature films. Other employment included regional, touring and fringe theatre, television series and commercials, and small film parts. Many past students have taken major roles in the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Retention is very good. Over 90% of those who enrol complete their courses.

Quality of education and training

5. Most teaching is outstanding. Teachers consistently balance suitably demanding tasks with support and encouragement for individuals, and there is a powerful emphasis on the requirements of the profession. Students are invariably asked to discuss what they have learned, to contribute ideas and to express opinions. In one class, students were carefully guided through the casting process and helped, through discussion with each other, to identify their own particular qualities. Students benefit from the variety of perspectives adopted by movement teachers. In one class, the use of historical photographs and paintings of people gave an imaginative starting point for them to inhabit a particular moment in time and gradually bring these people to life. In another class, the teacher used a combination of semi-hypnotic trance and gentle manipulation of the head and shoulders to help students achieve perfect posture. Exercises to strengthen physical balance and control were effectively employed in one highly disciplined voice class. Students have a variety of singing classes. Individual singing tutorials were conducted with skill and professionalism and in one first-year singing class a range of demanding exercises was used to help students improve their pitch and projection. At a particularly successful rehearsal, the director showed students how to achieve the demanding and exhausting displays of mass hysteria which were required by carefully distinguishing displays of emotion from genuine loss of control. At another rehearsal, the director had devised a series of tasks to help students discover the importance of background research in the building of a character. In acting classes, there is extensive and successful use of improvisation to explore the nature of dramatic relationships. Teachers are acutely aware of the need to complement training in technique with the development of students' understanding. In a class on the work of Michael Chekhov, the teacher skilfully enabled students to grasp Chekhov's theories through a series of well-judged practical activities. Students are very well motivated, lively and articulate, and they have a highly professional approach to their training. Attendance at classes is very good.

6. Students benefit from their teachers' wide range of professional experience. Some teachers have had notable careers in theatre, film and television. There is a good balance between loyal, long-serving teachers and new, young staff and directors who bring freshness and innovation to the teaching. The school has excellent links with the theatre, film and television business, and the incorporation of professional directors in the programme ensures that the needs of the profession are appropriately considered when selecting or assessing students. Staff and students regard their friendly and mutually supportive relationship as one of the academy's distinctive strengths.

7. The main performance space, the Chanticleer Theatre, is an intimate venue of great charm. It is complemented by a nearby pub theatre. Classes are held in three studios on the main site and at 15 studios in six other locations nearby. The accommodation is clean and looked after well, and the timetable has been arranged to minimise any disruption caused by the distance between sites. There are no canteen or common room facilities for students. Some studios are too small for the activities that take place in them. There is a small radio studio, and television recording equipment is hired when needed. Students have access to a good script library in the principal's office, but must use local libraries for other books. There are no ICT facilities for students' use at the academy, either for research or the word-processing of curricula vitae. Arrangements have been made to use local learndirect services to help overcome this problem, but these are not satisfactory.

8. Assessment is a strength of the courses. There is a balance between acknowledgement of individual students' achievements over time with the need for them to reach standards which are accepted by the profession. The academy's assessment criteria have recently been brought into line with the requirements of the national diploma and these criteria are shared with the students. Students are formally assessed each term. They receive notes from each of their specialist teachers and these are collated into termly, printed reports. One week of each term is allocated to this assessment and feedback process. Informal feedback to students on their progress is a feature of all the teaching at the academy, and a significant element of their formal assessment is the post-production report they receive from visiting directors.

9. The academy's courses have developed in an holistic way over a number of years. The one-year and two-year courses are designed for postgraduate students and those over 21. The three-year course, which takes the majority of students with awards, accepts candidates from the age of 18. In adapting to the changing needs of both the profession and its intake of students, the academy has managed to maintain a successful balance between the constituent parts of all its courses. All elements are grounded in sound professional practice which incorporate the aims and principles of the academy. The courses have a clearly defined structure leading students from an initial diagnostic and exploratory stage to their final year where they can test their developing technical skills through a demanding performance schedule.

10. Auditions are fair and appropriately conducted. Professional theatre directors are involved in the selection process. Guidelines for audition panels and the criteria for the selection of candidates have been considerably strengthened since the last inspection. There is a detailed system under which the panel marks performance and records judgements, and the procedure for panel members to declare their conflicts of interest are now clearly defined. Auditions are well organised and conducted in such a way as to enable students to produce their best performance. Students recalled after the first audition are re-directed in their chosen audition pieces so that they can demonstrate their ability to respond flexibly to direction and adapt to a fresh approach. Students reported that they were given the time and space needed to demonstrate their abilities at audition in a friendly and supportive atmosphere.

11. Support for students on the courses has improved since the last inspection and is now very good. There is a structured approach for screening and supporting students with dyslexic, dyspraxic or cognitive difficulties. Students' vocal and physical problems are dealt with effectively, if necessary by referral to remedial specialists or a sports injury clinic. First-year students have weekly personal tutorials and plans are in hand to extend this to all years. The academy is sympathetic to students with accommodation problems and offer as much practical assistance as possible. Every effort is made to guide graduates towards suitable employment. In the second year, very thorough guidance is given to each student on their casting profile, enabling them to focus their search for employment to the best effect. Productions are chosen for final-year students which most successfully market them to prospective agents. For all other students, productions are carefully chosen after consideration of their individual strengths, development needs and the requirement to provide a varied and balanced training. Agents attend the academy's performances and final-year students receive extensive career advice and help in establishing contacts with agents and potential employers. Final-year students also benefit from lectures on tax and insurance law, Equity membership and the preparation of curricula vitae.

Part C: Leadership and management

Inspectors judged leadership and management to be outstanding (Grade 1).

Strengths

Weaknesses

12. The academy was last inspected in October 2000. In the period since the last inspection, the academy has addressed many of the issues raised in the report and some improvements have been made. The staff and student handbooks now contain equal opportunity statements. The academy has developed a set of satisfactory procedures and assessment criteria for use in auditions. The criteria by which students are assessed are now contained in a comprehensive student assessment handbook. Whilst the formal appraisal of administrative staff has yet to start, it is clear from recent developments in the administration team that this will begin in the very near future.

13. The principal provides the academy with strong leadership and has established a clear and coherent strategic vision which is shared with, and understood by, the whole organisation. The handbooks for visiting tutors and directors are very good. They state the mission of the academy clearly and contain effective guidance and procedures for the conduct of all aspects of work. The academy has recently expanded its core administrative and learning support teams. Job descriptions are in place for all full-time staff and lines of accountability are clear. The creation of the new director of studies post has enabled the organisation to meet the changing needs of its student intake. The job description for the post places a particular emphasis on the diagnosis and provision of additional learning support for students and the observation and development of the teaching staff. The four subject co-ordinators, with responsibilities for acting, voice, movement, and singing, and a postgraduate course co-ordinator, report directly to the principal. The director of studies assists the principal with the overall management of the courses.

14. The management of the academy is highly effective. Communications are good and are driven mainly by the operational requirements of the performance work. In this context, the principal meets with individual directors to discuss the most suitable project work for the students. Throughout the production process, staff meet regularly and provide effective support for the students, assisting with the development of the work and reviewing the process and the final performance. The director then meets with the principal to evaluate the entire project. As there are many performances throughout each term, tutors meet regularly on this basis. The principal also meets formally with individual staff at the mid-point of each term to review the progress of their work and to discuss any development needs. At the end of each term, the principal chairs a meeting of all tutors to discuss and report on each student's progress and to highlight any common areas of concern. This emphasis on monitoring and evaluation, both in and out of the production process, ensures that the educational experience of the student is constantly being scrutinised and improved.

15. In July 2002, the principal and the academy accountant produced their second self-assessment report which evaluates the provision against the Common Inspection Framework. It accurately identifies the strengths and weakness of the organisation. Appropriate action is planned with clear accountability and deadlines. The principal draws his conclusions after consideration of a wide range of evidence which includes reports from external organisations and the views of students and staff.

16. The principal is continually striving to improve the academy's provision through the systematic collection and analysis of feedback from students and visiting staff. Each group of students elects a representative to collate their views on all areas of the course. The representative then presents these views to the principal, who takes action where appropriate. Following the students' feedback at mid term, the principal meets with individual tutors and directors to evaluate recent work and to review the forthcoming programme. Students feel that this is an effective process and there have been clear improvements in the provision as a result, including changes to the content of the course, the timetable and the teaching approach of some tutors. Feedback from staff has also led to significant improvements. For example, the staff view that the academy was insufficiently equipped to meet the learning support needs of some of its learners contributed to the creation of the new post of director of studies whose responsibilities include all aspects of student support.

17. The academy has satisfactory policies and codes of practice for health and safety, equal opportunities, attendance, discipline and complaints. These are contained in the student handbook and are summarised in the prospectus and the tutor and director handbooks. A short disability statement signals the academy's commitment to the appropriate treatment of applicants with disabilities. For a recent applicant with restricted mobility, the academy moved the audition to a more suitable venue. Whilst the academy is committed to providing opportunities for all applicants, there is no wheelchair access to many of its premises. The academy monitors the ethnicity of its applicants: those called for audition and enrolments. The enrolment statistics clearly demonstrate the academy's commitment to equality of opportunity.

18. The academy manages its resources efficiently. Financial matters are monitored carefully by the internal accountant who reports regularly to the principal. Annual budgets are prepared against planned income and expenditure. The production manager submits a budget request for approval by the principal for each show. The academy works closely with the owners of its rented property to continually update the standard of the accommodation. There is a contingency fund for repairs and renewals. Auditors review the accounts at the end of each term. There is a full audit of the annual accounts in preparation for presentation to the two shareholders at the annual general meeting. The academy seeks to secure value for money when purchasing consumables and small equipment.

Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art

CONTENTS
Basic information about the college
Part A: Summary
Part B: Leadership and management