Britain: An official handbook > 1966

238
BRITAIN: AN OFFICIAL HANDBOOK
Theatre for
Children
MUSIC, OPERA
AND BALLET
Education and Science and which provides a two-year course in all branches
of stage work), the Central School of Speech and Drama, the Rose Bruford
Training College, the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, the
Webber-Douglas School, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the
Arts Educational Schools, all of which are in or near London; and the Old
Vic School in Bristol. In Scotland there is the College of Dramatic Art which
is an integral part of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music in Glasgow and
is grant-aided by the Scottish Education Department.
An increasing degree of recognition is given to dramatic training by
universities. The University of London offers a Diploma in Dramatic Art;
Bristol University has a department of drama offering a course which an
arts student may take as part of a general degree course. Manchester
University offers courses in drama for honours or general arts degree students,
and a diploma course in Theatrecraft (embracing sound and television
broadcasting). The University of Hull has also recently established a
Department of Drama with courses leading to degrees or diplomas, and an
advanced course in Drama in Schools is offered by the University of Durham.
Hull University is building a theatre of its own; Exeter University’s theatre,
like the recently completed Nuffield Theatre at Southampton, is for the use
of both students and the public.
The Society for Theatre Research brings together those interested in the
history and technique of the British theatre. The International Theatre
Institute has a British centre in London. Its headquarters are in Paris and
there are 44 member countries. The main purpose of the institute is to foster
international goodwill and understanding by interchange of students,
theatrical companies, theatre personnel and all theatrical information. The
British centre’s committee is composed of representatives of the Arts Council,
British Council, League of British Dramatists, British Drama League,
Conference of Repertory Theatres and representatives of the theatre.
Many schools and youth clubs put on plays and provide some education in
drama. In 1964 a new drama centre for the London education service opened
at Toynbee Hall in east London. At Coventry special productions are arranged
for schoolchildren and members of the Belgrade Theatre’s staff teach at local
schools; there is also an advisory service for school productions. Nottingham
has a Youth Theatre Workshop.
A large number of organisations such as the Unicorn Theatre Trust and
Shakespeare for Schools present children’s plays in London and the
provinces. The National Youth Theatre, consisting of schoolboys, presents
Shakespearean productions in London, the provinces and abroad.
Music in all its forms draws large audiences; and music festivals, orchestral
concerts, choral singing, brass bands, opera and ballet are important features
of British cultural life. The increase in musical appreciation among the general
public during recent years is shown by the size of the audiences for concerts
and for broadcast music. About 101 million gramophone records were
produced during 1964. The National Federation of Gramophone Societies
has about 350 affiliated societies.
The City of Westminster houses the Central Music Library which lends to
other libraries and individuals. Another well-known music collection is the
Henry Watson Music Library at the Manchester Central Library. Many
other public libraries have collections of music that can be borrowed, and
an increasing number also lend gramophone records.