For those that don’t know a huge amount about drama schools, the names will that will like come up in an conversation about studying the craft of acting will almost certainly include the likes of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, Mountview and Bristol Old Vic. Whilst they are certainly great examples of prestigious places to go, they aren’t the only ones. Drama schools, such as Birmingham School of Acting and the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, are also an option, whilst Guildford boasts an excellent drama school of its own in the Guildford School of Acting.
Where It Is Located
If you are lucky enough to have an audition at the Guildford School of Acting, often referred to simply as GSA, or you’re just keen to get along and have a look at what it’s got to offer, you might be keen to know where it is and where it stands in relation to the rest of Guildford. The answer is that it is the North-East of the town, about 20 minutes away on foot or less than five minutes in a car. The reasonably small nature of Guildford as a location is such that you can get pretty much anywhere you need to be relatively easily anyway.
GSA is part of the wider organisation that is the University of Surrey, with the drama school being located reasonably close to the Stag Hill Reception part of the university campus. If you arrive in Guildford by train then you can get the number 1 or the number 17 bus out the location, with buses running from around six in the morning until just before midnight. The fact Guildford is so close to London means that there are plenty of train options and it is reasonably easy to do the drive, looking for the likes of the A322, A323, A281 or A3100.
What You Can Do at GSA
When it comes to the kinds of things that you can do at the Guildford School of Acting, it goes without saying that the performing arts are at the top of the list. Given the fact that it is considered to be one of the best theatre school in the United Kingdom, it is somewhere that performers of all stripes have a keen interest in spending their time and learning their craft. The training on offer ranges from Foundation to Postgraduate levels, with Undergraduate courses sitting in the middle of the pile. You can also do short courses, summer schools and professional development programmes.
In terms of the quality of study that you’re likely to be looking at, the Daily Mail’s University Guide 2025 but GSA first for drama and music and third in the dance, drama and cinematics category. In The Times/Sunday Times, the University of Surrey was shortlisted for University of the Year in the University Guide 2023. Whilst it is obviously likely to be the kind of venue that will appeal to wannabe actors and musical theatre stars, you can even attend a short course in the likes of Business Voice Coaching if you want to.
A Brief History of Guilford School of Acting
What some people might not realise is that the Guildford School of Acting wasn’t actually founded in Guildford at all. In fact, it began life in 1935 in London as the Grant-Bellairs School of Dance and Drama. It was relocated to Guildford at the outbreak of the Second World War, moving to the former Parish Hall of St Nicholas in 1945 and remaining there until 2010. It became the Guildford School of Acting and Dance in 1964, with some reports suggesting that the word ‘Dance’ was removed during the 1990s after former student Bill Nighy called it the ‘Guildford School of Twirlies’.
It was in 2009 that the School became part of the wider University of Surrey, moving to its current location the following year. The building that the drama school is currently located in is a purpose-built one, located next door to the Ivy Arts Centre, which itself has been refurbished. That was formerly the Sports Centre for the Stag Hill Campus. The main building has 15 studios that can be used for the likes of dance or rehearsal classes, as well as ten practice rooms that can also double-up as places for tutorials to be carried out.
As part of the Ivy Arts Centre there is a theatre that has enough room to seat just shy of 200 people. It is known as the Bellairs Theatre, named after Beatrice ‘Bice’ Bellairs, who was one of the original co-founders of the school. There is also an 80-seat auditorium named the Rex Doyle Studio Theatre, which is named in honour of the actor and GSA Alumnus Rex Doyle. On top of this, there is a 128-seat theatre within the Performing Arts Technology Studios, which can be used for productions if availability in the other locations is limited.
Famous Alumni
A drama school is only ever as good as the famous alumni that it is able to send off into the world of performance. On that front, the Guildford School of Acting has more than a few different names that people are likely to recognise. It is always difficult to talk about ‘most famous’ or ‘best known’ when it comes to performers, simply because each person will have their own interests and will know what matters to them and why. That being said, there are some names that graduated from Guildford and will be known to the majority of people.
Bill Nighy is likely to sit close to the top of that list for a lot of people, with the actor having appeared in countless well-known productions over the years. From Love Actually to Shaun of the Dead via appearing in franchises such as Harry Potter and the Pirates Of the Caribbean films, Nighy is a face and a voice that will stand out to many. Another ‘older’ actor who may will know by face, even if not by name, is Celia Imrie, star of films such as Calendar Girls and the Bridget jones film series.
Brenda Blethyn also fits into that category, winning the likes of a Golden Globe and a BAFTA during a career that spanned numerous decades. Listeners to BBC Radio 2 as well as lovers of musical theatre will no doubt recognise the dulcet tones of Michael Ball, who was in the original stage production of Les Misérables and boasts countless other famous credits. Those who like a more modern take on famous alumni will doubtless have seen the work of Erin Doherty, who was incredible in the 2025 Netflix production Adolescence.