The Arden School of Theatre, also known as The Arden, is a

drama school A drama school, stage school or theatre school is an undergraduate and/or graduate school or department at a college or university; or a free-standing institution (such as the Drama section at the Juilliard School); which specializes in the pr ...

which is part of the Performing Arts faculty at UCEN Manchester in England, United Kingdom.

History

The school was founded jointly by the

Royal Exchange Theatre The Royal Exchange is a grade II listed building in Manchester, England. It is located in the city centre on the land bounded by St Ann's Square, Exchange Street, Market Street, Cross Street and Old Bank Street. The complex includes the Royal ...

and South Manchester College in 1991 by the senior curriculum manager Robert S. Ely, to provide

vocational degree Vocational education is education that prepares people to work as a technician or to take up employment in a skilled craft or trade as a tradesman, tradesperson or artisan. Vocational Education can also be seen as that type of education give ...

level theatrical education in the North of England, one of the first to provide theatrical degrees in the United Kingdom. The name derived from the original City College Arden Campus where the drama school had been based between 1991 and 2004, in Northenden, South Manchester. It has never been a member of the

Conference of Drama Schools The Conference of Drama Schools (CDS) was the organisation which represented the top 21 accredited UK drama schools in the United Kingdom from 1969 until 2012. History Originally founded in 1969 as an educational charitable organization it chang ...

. In 2006, The Arden moved into new premises located over three floors at Universal Square. In September 2010 The Arden moved into Nicholls House, Ardwick, Manchester, a renovated

Victorian building Victorian architecture is a series of architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. ''Victorian'' refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the styles known as Victorian we ...

with additional rehearsal space, production rooms, and voice and singing rooms. The college is a founder member of the National Skills Academy for Creative & Cultural Skills.

Facilities

The programmes utilise a dedicated theatre space at The Waterside Theatre, attached to the Manchester College Shena Simon Campus,

Whitworth Street Whitworth Street is a street in Manchester, England. It runs between London Road ( A6) and Oxford Street ( A34). West of Oxford Street it becomes Whitworth Street West, which then goes as far as Deansgate ( A56). It was opened in 1899 and is ...

, in central Manchester. Collaboration with other College degree programmes allows access to other specialist facilities including music recording studios and radio studio and film and television production equipment. In September 2022 The Arden moved into a new campus located opposite the AO Arena near Manchester City Centre; a newly built campus for UCEN Manchester courses. The facilities include a squared studio theatre, two theatre spaces, a wardrobe area and costume design/build workshop, a fully equipped music studio, rehearsal rooms, drama studios, ensemble rooms, singing rooms, small film studio, classrooms, band rehearsal rooms, practice rooms, state of the art recording studios and live rooms.

Courses and faculty

The school provides five BA (Hons) programmes, validated by

Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) is a public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The university is based on two sites; the City Campus is located in the city centre near Sheffield railway station, while the Collegiate Cr ...

in Acting (Paul Broughton), Dance and Performance (Belinda Grantham), Musical Theatre (Will Nelson), Theatre and Performance ( Wayne Steven Jackson), and Vocal Studies (Andrew Stephenson). The Arden teaching faculty includes theatre professionals such as musical director

Robert Purvis Robert Purvis (August 4, 1810 – April 15, 1898) was an American abolitionist in the United States. He was born in Charleston, South Carolina, and was likely educated at Amherst Academy, a secondary school in Amherst, Massachusetts. He sp ...

and actor/composer Graham Lappin, television and film actors

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, and

Paul Broughton Paul Broughton (31 March 1931 – 3 December 2022) was an Australian rugby league footballer, coach and club chief executive. He was the Chairman of the Gold Coast Titans in the NRL. He also served on the board of the North Queensland Cowboys. ...

, dancers Belinda Grantham and Tomas Simon, and performance makers Wayne Steven Jackson and Graham Hicks. The college has a wide range of relationships locally with the

Contact Theatre Contact is an arts organisation in Manchester, England that focuses on youth leadership. History Contact was founded in 1972 by Barry Sheppard (General Manager of what was then Manchester University Theatre) and Hugh Hunt (Professor of Drama) ...

and the

. Graduates ahowcases are presented each year both in the region and in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, with a number of casting agents for acting, dance, and musical theatre.

Alumni

Graduates of the school include: *

Zöe Lucker Zöe Elizabeth Lucker (born 11 April 1974) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Sonya Leach in ''Coronation Street'' Tanya Turner in the ITV drama series, ''Footballers' Wives''; Vanessa Gold in the long-running BBC One soap ope ...

- actress: ''

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'',

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- actress: ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Origi ...

'' *

Cherylee Houston Cherylee Martina Houston (born 20 August 1974) is a British actress. She grew up in Morecambe, Lancashire, in the United Kingdom. She is currently playing Izzy Armstrong in '' Coronation Street'', a role she has portrayed since April 2010. Sh ...

- actress ''

'' *

Kim Tiddy Kimberley Jane Tiddy (born 3 September 1977) is an English actress, known for her roles as PC Honey Harman in the ITV procedural drama ''The Bill'' and Heidi Costello in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks''. Life and career The daughter of Joh ...

- actress ''

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'' *

Shaun Dooley Shaun Dooley (born 29 March 1974) is an English actor, narrator and voice-over artist. Early life Dooley was born in Barnsley in Yorkshire. He studied at the Arden School of Theatre in Manchester between 1992 and 1995. Career Dooley's fir ...

- Actor: ''

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, The Awakening, *

Saoirse-Monica Jackson Saoirse-Monica Jackson (born November 1993) is an Irish actress, best known for portraying Erin Quinn on the Channel 4 sitcom ''Derry Girls'' between 2018 and 2022. Early life Jackson was born in Derry in November 1993. She split her time grow ...

- actress, ''

Derry Girls ''Derry Girls'' is a British teen sitcom created and written by Lisa McGee that premiered on 4 January 2018 on Channel 4. The channel's most successful comedy since ''Father Ted'', the series was inspired by McGee's own experiences growing up ...

'' * Ella Straub - Actress *

- Actress

References

{{authority control City College Manchester Education in Manchester Drama schools in the United Kingdom Educational institutions established in 1991 1991 establishments in England Contemporary theatre Contemporary dance in the United Kingdom