Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts

• Year of foundation: 1945,
• Location: Peckham, South London, United Kingdom,
• Age of students: 18+,
• Number of students: 500+,
• Language of instruction: English,
• Type of study: Theater Academy.

Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts is one of the leading theatre schools which educates actors and theatre production professionals. Innovative practices and advanced approaches to work, close ties with the theater industry and author's methods help to educate talented, independent and modern professionals.

The school was founded in 1945 in Crouch End, a district in north London, as an amateur troupe called the Mountview Theatre Club, but just a year later the founders managed to purchase Cecil House, a spacious mansion in Crouch End, which was then converted into a theatre, which staged one performance every month until 1949. In 1958, evening acting courses were opened in Mountview, and a little later, a program for stage specialists was opened. The new school immediately received official status and professional recognition. The first full-time employment program launched here in 1969, and two years later Mountview had a second venue - the Judi Dench Theater. By 1985, an additional campus was opened in Wood Green. In 2018, a new spacious building was opened in Peckham in south-east London.

The education at the Academy includes a significant practical component: every week students attend at least 30 hours of lectures, seminars and practical classes (with 36 study weeks per year). The education is conducted in groups of 5-18 students and is added by individual lessons with personal mentors.

The course is designed to provide students with all the necessary knowledge and competencies within the chosen field – the program is approved by the University of East Anglia and Trinity College London. In addition, the academy is part of the British Federation of Dramatic Schools and is accredited by CDET - the Council for Teaching Drama and Dance.

In addition to experienced teachers, students actively interact with theater practitioners — directors and screenwriters, set designers and graphic designers, sound engineers, actors, directors and musicians. All this provides a holistic view of the work of the theater, helping to acquire useful contacts. A special public relations department works in the same direction: it is designed to help young professionals build relationships with agents, casting directors and recruiting agencies.

Students are offered several accommodation options:

• Bernard Myers House

Residence managed by the Capitol association; It is located a 15-minute walk from the main building of the Academy. The number of rooms includes 97 blocks, each with its own kitchen and bath/shower room. The residence is equipped with a laundry room with dryers, its own parking lot and bicycle parking. The complex is under round-the-clock security.

The weekly accommodation fee includes utility costs and broadband internet access.

• Shared Houses

Student residences offering a room with amenities on the floor, the price includes rent. Students have access to laundry, a shared kitchen and a recreation area, vending machines with snacks and drinks.

The Student Union assists in finding other accommodation options.

In addition to the learning process, students are offered an extensive extracurricular and entertainment program - from tickets to various productions in the West End to master classes with leading theater directors, producers and actors.

• Mountview Academy has been consistently ranked among the top 10 best drama schools in the UK, Scotland and Ireland for a decade.
• The QAA Higher Education Review in the Alternative Learning Providers category confirmed that the school meets expectations in all areas, maintaining high academic standards that are generally in line with the expectations of the government, offering quality education, giving applicants all the information they need, offering ample opportunities for students with disabilities.
• At the same time, Mountview offers affordable prices for its programs - on average, the cost of a year of tuition here is 20-25% lower than in theater schools in Paris and New York, and 10-15% lower compared to other London drama schools.

The admission process includes several main stages. In addition to the submission of documents (in person or by e-mail), these are:

• Auditions: In-person, but online auditions are available for expat students.
• Interview. They are held for applicants for master's programs in the following areas:
  • creative production;
  • musical directing;
  • public theatre and education;
  • acting practice;
  • theatrical directing;

+ is conducted for all courses and bachelor's programs in industrial areas. Senior teachers of the course take part in the interview. Applicants are expected to provide a portfolio of their work.

Interviews can be held in person or remotely, via video link.

Dozens of outstanding actors, producers and directors have graduated from the academy who have left a bright mark on the profession: among them are actors Grace Young and Ben Joyce, Louise Garland and Giles Terry, Eddie Marsan and Tobey McGuire, producer and director of music shows Sean Green, theater artistic director Rachel Bagshaw.

Applicants entering certificate and diploma programs need to prepare:

• Monologue in prose;
• Speech in verse;
• A creative performance in the genre of responding to a publication in any form.

Applicants to the Bachelor's program must additionally prepare a plastic plot, two songs in various genres, and a dance program (if the applicant performs in person, he can take part in a dance master class).

Candidates for the Master's degree in Musical Theatre need to prepare:

• A prose monologue from a play dated no earlier than 2000;
• Performance in verse based on a work written before 1800;
• Improvisation;
• Two songs in various genres.

The duration of each speech should not exceed 2 minutes; Excerpts should be integral works, the image should correspond to the age and character of the role.

Undergraduate students can apply for a scholarship. Annually, the school offers several scholarships, aimed at helping students to cover their tuition costs. The criteria for awarding scholarships are talent and potential, the presence of a financial need for assistance.

Scholarship funds are provided by a variety of sponsors, including the Leverhulme Trust, the Jamie Lonsdale and Andrew Lloyd Weber Foundations, OBE, Crossroads Live Ltd, The Champniss Foundation, The Christina Smith Foundation, and many others.

Every year, the school sends out an invitation to students to apply for scholarships. Applications are accepted in January, and selected applicants will receive a notification. As a rule, the amount of the scholarship varies from 10 to 30% of the tuition fee. The number of scholarship programs and their volume depend on the amount of funds available, so the school welcomes the search for other funding opportunities and assists applicants in drawing up applications for participation in state, municipal and independent programs.

It should be noted that scholarships are awarded annually, students need to submit a new application every year.

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision