Anna Scher Theatre
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The Anna Scher Theatre is an independent and co-educational performing arts school based in Islington, Greater London. It was founded in 1968 by Anna Scher. It is considered among the first schools of its kind geared towards working class students.<ref name="Ind250597"/>
Theatre school
In 1968, Scher started an extracurricular performing arts school at Islington's Ecclesbourne Primary School. 70 pupils came the first week, including future Birds of a Feather stars Pauline Quirke (aged 9), Linda Robson (aged 10) and Ray Burdis (aged 11).<ref name="Guard240304"/> In 1970, the classes moved across the road to a council hall in Bentham Court on Ecclesbourne Road. By 1975 she had 1,000 pupils and 5,000 on the waiting list,<ref name="Ind250597">Wynne-Jones, Ros; "School for working class heroes — and heroines" The Independent, 25 May 1997</ref> so moved to the custom converted mission hall on Barnsbury Road in 1976, when the performing arts school was established as an independent charity.<ref name="Guard240304">Hattenstone, Simon; "I just want to be back at my theatre" The Guardian, 24 March 2004</ref>
Scher's teaching style produces what critics call a natural delivery, but Scher comments that she just uses their natural voice. Of her improvisation technique, she told Simon Hattenstone of The Guardian in 2004: Template:Cquote
In 2000, Scher suffered ill health through depression and stepped down during her recovery period.<ref name="islington">Template:Cite news</ref>
In 2005, the remaining staff and board set up a new school<ref name="stage">Template:Cite news</ref> but Anna Scher went on to continue her theatre school under her own name at the nearby Blessed Sacrament Church Hall, Islington.<ref name="stage"/> Since 2009, the Anna Scher Theatre has been teaching from the St Silas Church in Islington and classes are run twice a week. Anna Scher stepped down as a teacher in 2020, and since then classes have been run by former student, and actor, Dickon Tolson.<ref name="stage"/><ref name="jake"/>
Alumni
Template:Full list Alumni include: Henry Paker,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Pauline Quirke, Linda Robson, Kathy Burke, Phil Daniels, James Alexandrou and Natalie Cassidy.<ref name="islington"/> Other alumni from EastEnders include: Gary Hailes, Martin Kemp, Gillian Taylforth, Patsy Palmer, Sid Owen, Joe Swash, Jake Wood, Susan Tully, Tilly Vosburgh, Brooke Kinsella and Tameka Empson.<ref name="jake">Template:Cite news</ref> Other alumni include: Adam Deacon, Zawe Ashton, Reggie Yates, and Daniel Kaluuya, Ricardo P Lloyd<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Freema Agyeman.
References
Literature
- Anna Scher (1988), Desperate to Act, Collins, Template:ISBN.
- Anna Scher & Charles Verrall (1975),100+ Ideas for Drama, Heinemann Educational, Template:ISBN.
- Anna Scher & Charles Verrall (1976), First Act: Drama Kit, Ward Lock Educational, Template:ISBN.
- Anna Scher & Charles Verrall (1987), Another 100+ Ideas for Drama, Heinemann Educational, Template:ISBN.
- Anna Scher & Charles Verrall (1992), 200+ Ideas for Drama, Heinemann Educational, Template:ISBN.
External links
- [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if: 3012318
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