A drama school is to open in Brighton next year and said that it would offer the only degree course in acting and performance in the city.
The Brighton Institute for Contemporary Theatre Training is due to open in September, offering a three-year BA honours degree course.
Students will be taught acting, singing and dancing. They will also be prepared for life after drama school with topics not usually covered by performing arts training, including business skills, life coaching and nutrition.
The degrees will be accredited by Sussex University – subject to validation – and supported by the British and Irish Modern Music Institute (BIMM), also based in Brighton.
The school will be based at Bird Studios in New England Street, Brighton, which has been extended to house the college. It already runs dance classes for both adults and children.
It said that students would work with industry professionals and perform in public, including a West End showcase.
The school added that Brighton provided the “perfect backdrop” for its course, with its arts offering including the annual Brighton Festival and Brighton Fringe – England’s largest fringe festival.
Fees for the three-year course will be in line with the national £9,000-a-year standard. However, funding support would be available.
The news comes weeks after BIMM announced a partnership with the Brighton Aldridge Community Academy (BACA) to offer a two-year further education (FE) diploma in music and music business from September.
BIMM said: “BIMM are naturally proud of our unparalleled record of success, both academically and in the career achievements, of many of the BIMM alumni – including Tom Odell, James Bay and George Ezra.”
“We can’t help blowing our own trumpet on the fact that 77 per cent of BIMM alumni are working across all areas of the music industry six months after graduation.
“Teaming up with BACA means there will be even more opportunities for Sussex students entering into the creative industries.
“The dedicated space at BACA’s fantastic new building will provide enhanced specialist facilities and enable us to welcome more FE students in the first stages of their creative career journey.”
BIMM Brighton executive principal Vaseema Hamilton said: “BIMM and BACA have a shared ethos: to put vocational learning at the centre of the curriculum and to help students find their path into sustainable employment within an industry that they want to be part of. For BIMM that industry is the music industry.”
BACA principal Dylan Davies said: “We are incredibly excited about the partnership between BACA and BIMM and the opportunities for students to engage with such a prestigious music qualification provider is incredible.”
The Academy of Creative Training (ACT), in Rock Place, Brighton, is the biggest existing provider of professional actor training in the area. The non-profit academy offers a two-year diploma and boasts a graduate employment rate of 65 per cent.
