London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art

"LAMDA" redirects here. For the AI, see LaMDA. For other uses, see Lambda (disambiguation).

London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
Gower Street entrance
The main entrance to LAMDA
TypeDrama school
Established1861 (1861)
ChancellorBenedict Cumberbatch
PrincipalMark O'Thomas
Location
Hammersmith, London, England
Affiliations
Websitelamda.ac.uk Edit this at Wikidata

The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) is a drama school located in Hammersmith, London.[1] It is the oldest specialist drama school in the British Isles and a founding member of the Federation of Drama Schools.[2] The institution is ranked 1st in the UK in the "Drama and Dance" category by The Guardian University Guide rankings for 2025 with a perfect score of 100. It is also ranked 6th in the world by The Hollywood Reporter's annual list of the 25 top drama schools and is currently rated as the top UK drama school for student satisfaction according to the 2024 National Student Survey.[3][4][5][6][7]

The academy's graduates work regularly at the Royal National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare's Globe, and the theatres of London's West End and Hollywood, as well as on the BBC, HBO, and Broadway. It is registered as a company under the name LAMDA Ltd[8] and as a charity under its trading name London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.[9] There is an associate organisation in America under the name of American Friends of LAMDA (AFLAMDA).[10][11] A very high proportion of LAMDA's stage management and technical theatre graduates find work in their chosen field within weeks of graduation. LAMDA alumni have received 5 Academy Awards (out of 13 Oscar nominations), 10 SAG Awards, 13 Tonys, 15 Emmys, 19 Golden Globes, 21 BAFTAs, and 39 Olivier Awards.[12][13][14][15]

LAMDA is in partnership with the Fulbright Program. Each year one U.S. applicant is awarded a Fulbright Scholarship by the US/UK Fulbright Commission to study for a Master of Arts in classical acting at the school.[16][17] LAMDA Examinations in the fields of speech, drama, communication, and performance are taken by external students and are recognised by Ofqual, the regulator in England, and its counterparts in Wales and Northern Ireland. LAMDA-accredited examinations at Level 3 or above are recognised within the UCAS Tariff system. LAMDA's Principal is Professor Mark O'Thomas, who succeeded Director Sarah Frankcom in 2022. Benedict Cumberbatch succeeded Timothy West as President of LAMDA's board of trustees in 2018.[18][19][20][21][22]

  1. ^ "Find Your Local Council:search".
  2. ^ Granger, Rachel. "Rapid Scoping Study on Leicester Drama School" (PDF). De Montfort University Leicester. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
  3. ^ "The Guardian University Guide 2025 the Rankings".
  4. ^ Huston, Caitlyn (22 June 2024). "The 25 Best Drama Schools in the World". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  5. ^ "National Student Survey".
  6. ^ "Office for Students: provider-level".
  7. ^ "LAMDA retains strong National Student Survey results".
  8. ^ "Lamda Ltd". Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  9. ^ London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, charitiesdirect.com Archived 2012-07-22 at archive.today
  10. ^ "LAMDA | AMERICAN FRIENDS OF LONDON ACADEMY OF MUSIC & DRAMATIC ART". aflamda.org. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  11. ^ "What's On – LAMDA". Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  12. ^ "Hollywood Reporter's list of the top 25 drama schools by Tim Appelo". Archived from the original on 6 May 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  13. ^ "London academy of music and dramatic art". IMDb.
  14. ^ "Alumni | London academy of music & dramatic art".
  15. ^ "Olivier Awards with MasterCard – Previous Winners | #BeInspired".
  16. ^ "United Kingdom: 1 Fulbright/John Wood LAMDA Award in Classical Acting". fulbrightonline.org.
  17. ^ "MA Classical Acting for the Professional Theatre | London academy of music & dramatic art". lamda.ac.uk. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  18. ^ "Benedict Cumberbatch becomes president of Lamda drama school". BBC. 16 January 2018. Archived from the original on 8 March 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  19. ^ "LAMDA appoints Professor Mark O'Thomas as principal and chief executive". dramaandtheatre.co.uk. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  20. ^ "LAMDA announces next Principal and Chief Executive". lamda.ac.uk. 16 August 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  21. ^ "Sarah Frankcom to step down as artistic director of Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre | WhatsOnStage". whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  22. ^ "Press Office" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 May 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2018.