INTERNATIONAL CONSULTANCY

Drawing on over forty-five years of experience in the delivery of world-class technical training at the academy, RADA provides consultancy services involving all aspects of the technical arts. Projects can range from providing advice to universities and schools on the design of courses linked with the construction and specification of new arts facilities, to creating technical training programmes for professional practitioners.

PREVIOUS PROJECTS

Technical Training with the British Council

Over a two year period RADA collaborated with the British Council in their programme of capacity building in technical theatre in North Africa and the Middle East. This programme fell under the British Council’s ‘New Work New Audiences’ arts project to allow audiences in the region and the UK to experience the power of Arts in developing cultural understanding, trust and dialogue.

The program started in March 2010 when the first workshop was delivered by Matt Prentice, RADA’s Head of Lighting, in Damascus, Syria. The workshop targeted trainers of technical theatre in drama schools and heads of technical departments in theatres from Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestinian Territories and Egypt. Later in the year Matt travelled to Tunis, Tunisia, to deliver the same workshop to similar participants from that region. In 2011 Chris Mock, RADA’s Head of Sound, delivered courses in theatre sound in Cairo, Egypt, and Damascus, Syria, again to trainers and practitioners in technical theatre.

In Damascus the Syrian Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the Damascus Opera House and the British Council went on to organise five cascade training workshops delivered by the Syrian trainers who had been trained by RADA experts.

In an article for DP-News, Alma Salem, British Council Regional Arts Programme Manager, stated "We are glad to be able to link light and sound professionals from the Arab region with one of the world’s top theatre training institutions, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, renowned for its quality training and personalised approach to trainers. We hope that this training will contribute to strengthening the infrastructure for theatre production in the Arab region and will in the long term lead to more collaboration in this area between the UK and the region."

Development of The Lir Academy in Dublin

The Lir, Ireland’s National Academy of Dramatic Art at Trinity College Dublin, was developed by the partnership of the Cathal Ryan Trust and Trinity College Dublin, and was set up to provide Ireland with a drama academy that would allow its students to receive excellent training and education. It is formally associated with RADA and RADA has been involved with the development of the courses and the design of the facilities.

The Lir’s aim is to train young actors, designers, directors, playwrights, stage managers and theatre technicians to the highest international standards for careers in the theatre and allied professions. Degrees and diplomas are awarded by Trinity College. The philosophy of the courses at the Lir has been modelled on RADA as they aim to become another international centre of excellence for performing arts training. The Lir is housed in a newly refurbished building which includes a highly adaptable black box studio, rehearsal and dance studios, and a technical design workshop. In September 2011 the first group of 15 acting students started on their three year BA Acting course.

For more information, visit The Lir website.