Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, one of the most sought after drama training institutions, has recently secured planning permission for a new multi-million pound home in south London. The new plans to relocate to Peckham follow a proposed move to Hornsey Town Hall in Haringey, which was abandoned in January 2015. The drama school is currently based in Wood Green in north London, and will relocate to Peckham from 2018.
The move will provide the school with a new facility, equipped with its first on-site theatre. It will also bring all of Mountview's teaching to one site, will feature a 200-seat performance space and an 80-seat studio, alongside 22 teaching studios, music practice rooms, two TV studios and a radio suite. It is also planned that the building will be open to the public, with rehearsal space for hire by others in the industry, as well as offering performance classes for young people and adults.
The site will be home to Mountview's 400 students, and is anticipated to open in September 2018. It is widely considered as one of the best musical theatre and performance arts schools in the country, and the move will help reinforce the school's vision of creating a new model of drama school. Through this Mountview will become the leading academy in excellence, social access and innovation in training for the creative industries.
The new innovative space is thought to increase the excellence of the school's students, offering them further facilities and opportunities to hone their craft in a readymade space. Southwark Council believes the move will continue to grow and enhance Peckham’s reputation for creativity and culture, which will be encouraged and supported during and after the move to the borough.