Academy of Live and Recorded Arts


The Academy of Live and Recorded Arts is a British drama school. It has two sites: ALRA South on Wandsworth Common in south London and ALRA North in Wigan, Greater Manchester. It was founded in 1979 by director and actor Sorrel Carson who then directed the school as its principal until 2001. The current principal is Adrian Hall.
ALRA was a member of Drama UK, formerly the Conference of Drama Schools, and National Council for Drama Training, both organizations since dissolved, and receives funding from the Young People's Learning Agency. It is a member of the Federation of Drama Schools.

Locations and origins

ALRA South is in the Royal Victoria Patriotic Building, a Victorian Gothic Grade 2 listed building on the edge of Wandsworth Common. Until 1982/3 it was in a converted church hall in East Finchley, North London.
ALRA North, in Wigan, Greater Manchester, opened in September 2010. The curriculum and teaching methods are the same as at ALRA South.

Courses

ALRA offers the following courses:
Admission to the school is based on three rounds of auditions and finally an interview with the school's directors, its registrar and an audition panel. The audition is held over the course of a single day.

Notable alumni