The Best Drama Schools in London 2026
London is home to some of the most respected drama schools and actor-training institutions in the world.
For aspiring actors, studying in the capital can mean intensive professional training alongside access to one of the world's largest theatre industries, a major film and television sector, and a huge concentration of casting directors, acting agents and creative professionals.
Some of London's best-known drama schools include RADA, LAMDA, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, ArtsEd and Mountview. The city is also home to specialist actor-training institutions including Drama Studio London and Fourth Monkey.
But the most famous school is not necessarily the best drama school for every actor.
Different schools have different approaches to training, class sizes, specialisms and working environments. The right choice will depend on the type of actor you want to become and the training that suits you best.
Here is our guide to nine of the best drama schools in London for actors considering professional training in 2026.
First Published 28th September 2022
Last updated 7th August 2026
Best drama schools in London at a glance
Compare nine leading London drama schools for professional actor training.
| Drama school | Location | Best known for | Good option for |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAMDA | West London | Acting Conservatoire | Elite stage and screen training |
| RADA | Central London | Acting Conservatoire | Highly selective professional training |
| Guildhall | City of London | Acting Conservatoire | Individual and ensemble actor training |
| Royal Central | North London | Acting Theatre-making | Acting, devising and specialist pathways |
| ArtsEd | West London | Acting Musical theatre | Intensive contemporary actor training |
| Mountview | South London | Acting Musical theatre | Acting and musical theatre |
| Rose Bruford | South East London | Acting Specialist performance | Acting, screen, devising and actor-musicianship |
| Drama Studio London | West London | Acting | Focused specialist actor training |
| Fourth Monkey | North London | Acting Theatre-making | Ensemble and physical actor training |
1. LAMDA
Location: Barons Court, West London
Best known for: Professional actor training
Training includes: Acting, voice, movement, film, television, audio and musical theatre
Notable alumni: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor and David Oyelowo
LAMDA - the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art - is one of the most famous drama schools in the world.
Its three-year BA Professional Acting course provides intensive vocational training designed to prepare actors for professional careers across theatre, film, television and audio.
Students train across acting technique, movement, voice, singing, screen, classical and contemporary text, improvisation and self-created work.
LAMDA's international reputation means competition for places is extremely high, but the school remains one of the most attractive options for actors looking for rigorous conservatoire training in London.
Its location in West London also gives students easy access to the wider theatre and screen industries while training within a specialist drama-school environment.
Who might LAMDA suit? Actors looking for intensive professional training with a major international reputation and a strong balance of stage and screen work.
2. Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA)
Location: Bloomsbury, Central London
Best known for: Professional acting
Training includes: Classical and contemporary acting, screen, television, radio, voice and movement
Notable alumni: Ralph Fiennes, Kenneth Branagh and Jessie Buckley
The Luke Westlake Scholarship Winners: Darcy Dixon (2024)
RADA - the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art - is arguably Britain's most famous drama school.
Based in central London, the institution has been associated with professional British actor training for more than a century and continues to attract applicants from around the world.
Its three-year BA Acting provides extensive practical training across acting technique, voice, movement, singing, text, screen work and professional development.
Students receive at least 35 contact hours of training per week on average, making it an intensive vocational programme rather than a traditional university-style acting degree.
Public productions, screenings and professional-development work become increasingly important as students progress towards graduation.
The course is validated by King's College London.
Who might RADA suit? Actors looking for highly selective, intensive conservatoire training with strong classical, contemporary and screen foundations.
3. Guildhall School of Music & Drama
Location: Barbican, City of London
Best known for: Acting and conservatoire training
Training includes: Stage, screen, digital and audio performance
Notable alumni: Daniel Craig, Damian Lewis and Ewan McGregor
The Luke Westlake Scholarship Winners: Monica Khela (2025)
Guildhall is one of London's most prestigious conservatoires and has developed a formidable reputation for actor training.
Located next to the Barbican, the school sits at the heart of one of London's major cultural districts.
Guildhall's BA Acting focuses on developing each actor's individual artistic practice while maintaining a strong emphasis on craft and ensemble work.
Students work across classical, contemporary and experimental material alongside screen, audio and digital performance.
The school also emphasises working collaboratively, with actors developing their own artistic identity rather than being trained towards a single house style.
JAM's 2025 Luke Westlake Scholarship winner, Simrita Khela, trained at Guildhall.
Who might Guildhall suit? Actors seeking highly selective conservatoire training with a strong emphasis on individuality, ensemble work and versatility across different performance mediums.
4. Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
Location: Swiss Cottage, North London
Best known for: Acting, theatre-making and specialist performance training
Training includes: Classical and contemporary acting, devised performance, theatre, screen and audio
Notable alumni: Judi Dench, Andrew Garfield and Riz Ahmed
The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama - usually known simply as Central - is one of London's most established theatre and performance institutions.
Part of the University of London, Central differs from some other drama schools because of the sheer breadth of performance, theatre-making, technical and postgraduate courses available alongside its professional acting training.
Its three-year BA Acting offers different approaches to professional training, including classical and contemporary work and a contemporary and devised pathway.
That allows applicants to consider not only whether they want to attend Central, but also what kind of performer and theatre-maker they want to become.
The course is designed to prepare actors for careers across theatre, film, television and audio while giving some students a particularly strong grounding in devising and creating their own work.
Who might Central suit? Actors who want professional actor training within a broad theatre school and those particularly interested in devising, collaboration and making their own work.
6. Mountview
Location: Peckham, South London
Best known for: Acting and musical theatre
Training includes: Acting, voice, movement, screen, recorded voice and musical theatre
Notable alumni: Eddie Marsan, Giles Terera and Louisa Harland
Mountview is one of London's best-known performing arts schools.
Now based in a purpose-built centre in Peckham, the school trains actors alongside musical theatre performers, actor-musicians, directors and other creative practitioners.
Its three-year BA Performance - Acting is a practical vocational programme designed to prepare students for theatre, television, film and recorded performance.
Students receive more than 25 hours of direct teaching each week and work through skills classes, performance projects, acting for camera, voice and movement.
Final-year training includes public productions, film work, an industry showcase, a television showreel and a recorded voice reel.
Mountview's wider combination of acting and musical theatre training makes it particularly relevant for performers researching both disciplines.
Who might Mountview suit? Actors seeking intensive London training within a multidisciplinary performing arts environment.
7. Rose Bruford College
Location: Sidcup, South East London
Best known for: Acting and specialist performance training
Training includes: Acting, actor-musicianship, screen, devising, voice and movement
Notable alumni: Gary Oldman and Rosalie Craig
Rose Bruford College has one of the broadest ranges of specialist performance training in London.
Its main campus is based at Lamorbey Park in Sidcup, within the London Borough of Bexley.
Alongside its three-year BA Acting, Rose Bruford offers specialist undergraduate routes including Actor Musicianship and Acting for Screen and Devised Performance.
The main Acting BA combines practical and technical actor training with theatre-making and professional development.
The breadth of courses available makes Rose Bruford particularly interesting for applicants who are still deciding whether a traditional acting programme or a more specialist performance pathway suits them best.
Who might Rose Bruford suit? Actors looking for professional training with the option to explore specialist areas including screen, devising and actor-musicianship.
8. Drama Studio London
Location: Ealing, West London
Best known for: Specialist professional actor training
Training includes: Acting, voice, movement, screen, audio and stagecraft
Notable alumni: Emily Watson and Forest Whitaker
Drama Studio London has specialised in professional actor training for more than 50 years.
Based in Ealing, the school is smaller and more focused than many of London's larger multidisciplinary conservatoires.
Its three-year BA Professional Acting is practical and vocational, with training across acting, voice, movement, screen, audio, character work and approaches to text.
Students typically receive around 30 hours of training each week.
The final year becomes increasingly industry-facing, with public productions, a professional showcase, showreel material and guidance around organisations including Spotlight and Equity.
Drama Studio London also offers foundation, postgraduate and MFA routes for actors at different stages of their training.
Who might Drama Studio London suit? Actors who want focused, specialist training at a school dedicated predominantly to professional acting.
9. Fourth Monkey
Location: North London
Best known for: Ensemble-based actor training and theatre-making
Training includes: Acting, voice, movement, screen, physical theatre and devised work
Training routes: Three-year BA Acting, accelerated two-year BA Acting and CertHE
Fourth Monkey is one of the newer schools in this guide, but it has developed a distinctive position within London's actor-training landscape.
The school's training places particular emphasis on ensemble work, physicality, collaboration and the development of actors as creative artists as well as performers.
Fourth Monkey currently offers both a traditional three-year BA Acting and an accelerated two-year BA Acting, alongside a one-year CertHE in Acting and Theatre Making.
Training includes classical and contemporary performance, screen, voice, movement, devising, digital storytelling and approaches influenced by practitioners including Meisner, Lecoq and Suzuki.
Students work in relatively small training groups, typically between around 14 and 21 students.
Who might Fourth Monkey suit? Actors attracted to ensemble-led, physically engaged and collaborative training, particularly those who also want to develop as theatre-makers.
Frequently asked questions about London drama schools
What is the best drama school in London?
There is no definitive best drama school for every actor. RADA, LAMDA, Guildhall and Central are among London's most internationally recognised institutions, but schools including ArtsEd, Mountview, Rose Bruford, Drama Studio London and Fourth Monkey all offer different forms of professional actor training.
What are the hardest drama schools in London to get into?
Leading London schools including RADA, LAMDA and Guildhall receive large numbers of applications for relatively small acting cohorts, making admission extremely competitive.
Other professional courses in London can also be highly selective, and applicants should expect auditions and recalls to form a major part of the admissions process.
What are the best London drama schools for musical theatre?
ArtsEd and Mountview are particularly well known for musical theatre as well as acting.
Applicants specifically looking for musical theatre training should compare singing, dance and acting provision separately rather than assuming the best acting course will also be the best musical theatre course.
What is the cheapest drama school in London?
Fees differ considerably between institutions and can change each academic year. Some courses operate close to the standard maximum undergraduate tuition fee, while others charge significantly more.
Funding arrangements can also differ, so compare the total course cost rather than tuition fees alone.
Can you get student finance for London drama schools?
Many degree courses at London drama schools are eligible for student finance, but the exact arrangement depends on the institution and programme.
Some schools also offer diplomas, scholarships, bursaries and alternative funding routes.
Always check the funding page for the individual course before accepting an offer.
Do you need to live in London to attend a London drama school?
Not necessarily.
Some students commute from locations outside Greater London, particularly to schools in areas such as Chiswick, Ealing, Sidcup and Peckham.
However, professional acting courses usually involve long days, rehearsals and occasional evening work, so commuting time should be considered carefully.
Is Drama Centre London still open?
Drama Centre London is no longer included in this guide as a current standalone option for applicants.
It was historically part of Central Saint Martins and trained a number of high-profile actors, but prospective students looking for London actor training in 2026 should focus on institutions with active current acting programmes.
Is drama school in London worth it?
For the right actor and the right course, studying at a London drama school can provide intensive professional training, performance experience, industry preparation and access to a large community of actors and creatives.
However, attending drama school does not guarantee a professional acting career.
The quality and suitability of the training should always matter more than simply being able to say that you studied in London.
