Celebrating 50 Years in North America
LAMDA is delighted to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of its One Year Classical Acting Course and to celebrate the Academy’s unique relationship with the United States. For over half a century, LAMDA has enjoyed a uniquely strong relationship with North America. The Academy’s reputation had previously attracted students from around the world, however in 1956, following a request from the Fulbright Commission, a one-year post graduate training course specifically for actors from the United States was established at LAMDA. It was specially designed for college graduates who have successfully completed a drama or theatre course and is intended to add a further classically-based dimension to their training, helping to diversify their skills and refine their talent.
Over the years, this relationship with the US has continued to grow, enabling LAMDA to train literally thousands of American actors, directors, stage managers and theatre technicians. The Academy’s North American alumni have distinguished themselves in many ways and include multi-award winners Stacy Keach, Swoosie Kurtz, John Lithgow, Michael Moriarty, Donald Sutherland and Rita Wilson to name but a few. America's most famous voice teacher, Kristin Linklater, trained at LAMDA and went on to teach at the Academy from 1957 to 1963. She then relocated to the US, where she co-founded the celebrated US touring theatre Shakespeare & Company with Tina Packer in 1978. Another alumna Margot Harley, one of the founding members of the Drama Programme at Julliard, went on to establish The Acting Company with John Houseman.
To ensure that young American actors can continue to train at LAMDA, regardless of their financial situation, the Academy has established an American Scholarships Fund. If you would to make a donation to support American Scholarships at LAMDA, please click here.
LAMDA has established strong ties with pre-eminent American educational institutions, and for the past few years has presented a 'Lecture Tour' at various universities in the USA & Canada, primarily focusing on Shakespeare’s First Folio. Annually, the Academy also participates in the American College Theatre Festival at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC, co-sponsoring a Classical Acting Scholarship Award which enables a young American actor of talent to take part in the intensive 8 week Shakespeare & His Contemporaries Summer Workshop in London.
As the connection with the United States goes from strength to strength, the Academy is greatly benefited by its North American Advisory Board and has recently established its own American 501-c-3 non-profit organisation, the American Friends of LAMDA. In this way, LAMDA’s activities to enrich theatre in the United States, primarily through providing scholarships for American Students lacking financial resources to attend the Academy, will continue to grow.