Italia Conti Newbury

The Italia Conti Academy is Britain’s oldest established theatre arts training school. It grew out of the first production of the play that was to become a children’s classic, WHERE THE RAINBOW ENDS. Italia Conti, who was already an established actress with a growing reputation for her success with working with young people, was asked to take over the training of the juveniles in the cast.

The first season was a triumph and, at the end of the run, the young members of the cast begged their parents to let them continue tuition with Miss Conti. So the school was born, in basement studios in London’s Great Portland Street.

From these humble beginnings, and with Italia Conti’s pioneering training policy of providing an ‘all round training in singing, dancing and acting’, the Academy has perfected a curriculum of professional training that has benefited many of today’s household names.