East 15 Acting School, sometimes known simply as East 15, is a drama school based in Essex, England. It provides vocational training in acting, specialist performance disciplines, theatre directing, stage management, and creative producing. The school was established in 1961 by Margaret Bury, a member of Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop. Since 2000, its degrees are conferred by the University of Essex.
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History
East 15 Acting School was founded in 1961 by Margaret Bury.
East 15 draws its origins from the work of Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop. Margaret Bury was part of the Theatre Workshop for 14 years before starting East 15 Acting School in 1961. She drew on the teaching methods and philosophies of the Theatre Workshop, and its guiding principles continue to inform East 15's teaching and productions today.
In 2000, East 15 established its partnership with the University of Essex. At its inception, Essex's founding Vice-Chancellor, Sir Albert Sloman, emphasised that "radical innovation" would be at the heart of its approach, including new specialist performance courses and the creation of new facilities, including the Clifftown Theatre at Southend, and a motion capture studio served by 30 Vicon sensors.
In 2025 it was announced that the University of Essex would be leaving Southend at a cost of 400 jobs.
Description
East 15 is located in the county of Essex in England. The school provides vocational training in acting, specialist performance disciplines, theatre directing, stage management, and creative producing. It offers a number of undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Its campus is located in Loughton and, until 2026, also in Southend-on-Sea. Its degrees are awarded by the University of Essex, with which it merged on 1 September 2000.
Since around 2014 and as of January 2025 the director of East 15 is Chris Main.
East 15 is a member of the Federation of Drama Schools.
Ranking
In 2025, East 15, as part of the University of Essex, was ranked number one in the UK in The Guardian″s ranking for drama and dance.
Notable alumni
Notable graduates from East 15 include:
Damon Albarn and Marc Warren attended the institution but did not graduate.