News

News, Updates and Announcements from Central

Lighting being installed in an empty theatre

News, updates and announcements from Central

Central's Dr Nicola Abraham receives 2023-24 Employer Appreciation Award from Leicester College for their Applied Theatre project. This project has transformed a performing arts module at the College to focus on arts and health and is in addition to our ongoing partnership through Central’s Outreach Programme.

Students sitting on stage in front of an audience during a Q&A session

The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama is pleased to announce that it has received £5.6 million in investment from Research England’s Expanding Excellence in England Fund (E3) to establish a Centre for Performance, Technology, and Equity.

UKRI Research England Logo - white and black text appears on a blue, orange and white background

Central is pleased to announce its season of public productions and events for the Spring 2024 term.

Title page for Central's Productions and Events: Spring Season 2024 brochure. The title and subtitle appear in a white and black capitalised font in the bottom left corner, over a geometric, colourful background including illustrations of a close up of an eye and an ear The Central logo appears in white in the top right hand corner.

On Thursday 4 January, The Stage published this year’s edition of ‘The Stage 100’. We are delighted to see that a number of our alumni and Honorary Fellows have been recognised and celebrated in this list for their remarkable efforts and achievements.

Image of an abstract background with the words "The Stage 100" written across it.

The Central community is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our graduate, Honorary Fellow and friend Richard Pilbrow. 

Photograph of Richard Pilbrow receiving his Honorary Fellowship

Congratulations to Central’s Class of 2023, who graduated on Friday 1 December in a ceremony held at London’s Royal Festival Hall.   

Two Central graduates stand in their caps and gowns in the auditorium of the Royal Festival Hall, celebrating

On 15 November, Central’s Dr Naomi Paxton (Knowledge Exchange Associate Fellow) will take part in a collaborative performance event – Pockets of Power! - as a part of the 2023 Being Human Festival. The Being Human Festival is the UK’s national festival of the humanities led by the School of Advanced Study, University of London, in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy. 

Image of the Pockets of Power! performance showing six performers standing in front of a curtain backdrop

Congratulations to Central BA Design for Performance students Peiyao Wang (Class of 2023) and Yimei Zhao (Class of 2023), and graduate Yijing Chen (Class of 2022), who have all been named recipients of the prestigious Linbury Prize for Stage Design. 

Logo for the Linbury Prize for Stage Design showing white text against a black, grey and orange toned background of the National Theatre foyer

Central's Professor Kate Elswit (Professor of Performance and Technology) and collaborator Harmony Bench (The Ohio State University) are leading a dance data project on choreographer Alvin Ailey, commissioned by the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Headshots of Kate Elswit and Harmony Bench placed next to each other

Central is pleased to announce that award-winning playwright Mark Ravenhill will join Central as a part time member of staff for the autumn 2023, teaching on its BA (Hons) Writing for Performance course.

A hand holding a pen over an open notebook with writing on the pages

Central is pleased to announce a full programme of public productions across the Autumn Season 2023.

Front page of the Autumn Season 2023 Productions brochure at Central

On 31 July 2023, Professor Kate Elswit (Professor of Performance and Technology) was presented with the Gertrude Lippincott Award for best English-language article in dance in 2022.

Portrait of Kate Elswit