ArtsEd was declared School of the Year at a ceremony at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. The prestigious Stage Awards celebrate the industry’s best performing theatres and theatre makers and categories include the Best Regional Theatre, Best Producer, International Award and School of the Year.

ArtsEd’s nomination came as a direct result of the School of Acting’s exceptional achievements in 2015. Juma Sharkah (pictured) made her professional debut in Liberian Girl at the Royal Court in January before she'd even graduated from the BA Acting course, while ArtsEd Patron Sir Trevor Nunn directed third-year acting students in his first ever production of Shakespeare’s The Two Gentlemen of Verona. The Stage noted that graduates from ArtsEd Acting and Musical Theatre BA courses are “making an ever-stronger and more noticeable mark in productions across London and the rest of the country”. They also commended ArtsEd's stellar cast of industry patrons, recently enriched by playwright Jessica Swale and director Matthew Dunster.

In an interview with We Are the City, Juma Sharkah highlighted the benefits of her training: “The whole ArtsEd experience allowed me to grow so much as a person – being around such a supportive network of staff and students was the perfect way for me to find out what I am fully capable of. I was always told – we want you to be the best version of yourself – you are the training. It made me feel very safe. I still warm up the ArtsEd way before all my auditions and performances and keep in touch with everyone.”

Principal Jane Harrison is delighted with the result: “ArtsEd has been and will continue to be champions of diversity and inclusion. Winning this award is a clear endorsement of our commitment.”

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We are delighted to announce that Jessica Swale and Matthew Dunster, who have been working as Writers in Residence on two new plays for production later in 2016, have joined our stellar cast of ArtsEd patrons.

MATTHEW DUNSTER is an Olivier-nominated director, playwright and actor. He is as an Associate Artist at the Young Vic Theatre and recently directed Martin McDonagh’s new play Hangmen at the Royal Court, now transferred to Wyndham’s Theatre. Directing credits include: Hangmen and Liberian Girl (Royal Court), The Seagull and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Open Air Regent’s Park), Love’s Sacrifice (RSC), The Lightning Child, Troilus and Cressida and Doctor Faustus (Shakespeare’s Globe), The Love Girl & the Innocent, You Can Still Make a Killing (Southwark Playhouse), Mametz (National Theatre Wales), Before the Party (Almeida), A Sacred Flame (English Touring), Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (Royal Exchange Manchester), Mogadishu (Royal Exchange Manchester and Lyric Hammersmith – Olivier Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre), Love and Money (Royal Exchange Manchester and Young Vic – Olivier Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre) and Love the Sinner (National Theatre). 

As writer, his theatre includes: Children’s Children (Almeida), The Most Incredible Thing (Sadler’s Wells), and You Can See the Hills (Royal Exchange Manchester).

“I have a great deal of faith in the work that Gareth Farr does with his acting students and in my relatively short association with ArtsEd I have relished working with those students. I've found them inspiring when devising work with them and have now worked with a number of them in shows of mine at the RSC and the Royal Court –two of them were still third year students at the time. So I've already gained a lot from my association with the school and hope as a patron I'll learn more and look forward to helping where and when I can throughout the organisation.”

JESSICA SWALE is an award-winning playwright and director. She trained at Central School of Speech and Drama and Exeter University, after which she set up Red Handed Theatre Company whilst working as Max Stafford-Clark’s Associate director at Out of Joint. With Red Handed Jessica’s directing work includes The Belle's Stratagem (Evening Standard Best Director 2012 nomination), The Busy Body, The Rivals, Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me (Southwark Playhouse); The School for Scandal (Park Theatre) and Palace of the End (Arcola).

“I couldn't be more delighted to become a patron. ArtsEd has always strived to give their students the very best training and with innovations like the Writer in Residence scheme the students' experience is elevated beyond conventional teaching to give them genuine experience of Industry practice. I work in exactly the same way with the students as I do with actors in rehearsal. The school understands the importance of staying in touch with current theatre practice.

Jessica started writing in 2012, winning a Most Promising Playwright nomination at the Evening Standard Awards for her first play, Blue Stockings (Shakespeare’s Globe). Her most recent play, Nell Gwynn, transfers to the West End this spring after a sell-out run at the Globe. Other writing includes All's Will that Ends Will (Bremen Shakespeare Company), adaptations of Sense and Sensibility, Far from the Madding Crowd (Watermill) and The Secret Garden (Grosvenor Park, Chester) and a new play, The Mission, about illegal adoptions in the 1920s for ArtsEd. In 2012 she won a BAFTA JJ Screenwriting Bursary and has just completed an original screenplay, Summerland.

As director, her credits include Fallen Angels (Salisbury Playhouse), Bedlam (Shakespeare's Globe), Winter (Theatre Newfoundland, Canada) and Sleuth, Sense and Sensibility and Far from the Madding Crowd (Watermill Theatre). Jessica has also directed a number of Shakespeare plays in the Balkans and the Marshall Islands for the NGO Youth Bridge Global. She is the author of a best-selling series of drama games books, published by Nick Hern.

“I was flattered to be asked to write for this year's third years. I have been constantly impressed by their ability, attitude and energy. I hope they are learning from the experience, I certainly am! I believe it's vital for those in the industry to stay connected to the next generation of theatre makers and performers – valuable to both students and professionals. I have no doubt that we'll be working together for many years to come.”

The Stage Awards celebrate the industry’s best performing theatres and theatre makers with award categories including Best Regional Theatre, Best Producer, International Award and School of the Year.

{image1}ArtsEd’s nomination as School of the Year is a direct result of the School of Acting’s exceptional achievements throughout 2015. Student Juma Sharkah made her professional debut in Liberian Girl at the Royal Court in January prior to graduating from the BA Acting course. While in the spring, ArtsEd Patron Sir Trevor Nunn directed third-year acting students in his first ever production of Shakespeare’s The Two Gentlemen of Verona. The Stage commented that graduates from our Acting and Musical Theatre BA courses are “making an ever-stronger and more noticeable mark in productions across London and the rest of the country.”

The winners will be announced at The Stage New Year Party, at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on January 29, 2016. You can see the full list of award nominations here.