BATES ARCHIVE News In Memoriam SPOTLIGHTS Knighthood American Film Theatre Fifties TV Al Hirschfeld FEATURES Biography Timeline Photo Gallery Actors Centre Piffle Ephemera ARCHIVE Theatre Film Television Audio Interviews Writing

The Actors Centre | Tristan Bates Theatre "The Actors Centre offers a unique opportunity for actors to improve their craft, share their experiences and feel that they are part of a single body composed of like-minded individuals." -Richard Eyre For 25 years, the Actors Centre has held a unique place in the British performing arts. "It is the pre-eminent artistic resource for the acting profession and has provided training of outstanding quality for countless performers who provide the backbone of the British entertainment industry on stage and screen. British actors are renowned throughout the world for their skill, their versatility and their sheer capacity to excite. But who meets their need to go on refining their craft, extending their potential, exploring new ideas? Neither the broadcasting nor the theatre industry have taken up that responsibility on the scale they have for other personnel, which is why the Actors Centre was created, by actors for actors, to nurture the art of performance in any media," says Artistic Director Matthew Lloyd. - LOCATION - The Actors Centre is located in the heart of the West End and has a membership of over 2000 professional actors. The premises include five rehearsal studios, a media studio and the Tristan Bates Theatre, a fully licensed venue used principally for the presentation of new and experimental work. Every day, the building teems with activity which ranges from the practical to the trail-blazing, equipping actors for every kind of work from classical theatre to prime time TV. The Centre aims to preserve vital elements of the craft that are under threat, as well as to keep actors in touch with the state of the art and with what's coming next. - KEY FIGURES - The late Sir Alan Bates was Patron of the Actors Centre, following Lord Olivier and Sir Alec Guinness. "He was an outstanding Patron, who passionately minded about the quality of acting" said Development Director Mark Stephens. "He constantly visited the Centre, wanted to know all our plans and ran many events to raise money for us both in the UK and the US so that the Centre could continue its work." The Actors Centre is currently headed by Matthew Lloyd, Artistic Director and Chief Executive, and formerly Artistic Director of the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. There is a Board of Directors, an Advisory Board and a body of Vice Presidents that includes an array of the leading lights of the acting profession. The workshops and classes are led by distinguished practitioners and expert teachers, including many actors and directors who are at the forefront of the film, television and theatre industries. - NEW PATRON - News from The Stage, 12 April 05: Julie Walters to replace Alan Bates as Actors Centre patron by Ruth Gillespie The Actors Centre in Covent Garden has announced that Julie Walters, who returned to the stage this year in Victoria Wood's Acorn Antiques - The Musical!, is to replace the late Alan Bates as its patron. Walters will be expected to raise the profile of both the centre and its venue, the Tristan Bates Theatre, as the organisation launches a fundraising drive to finance a new media studio dedicated to the late John Thaw. "I am delighted and flattered to be asked to become the new patron of the Actors Centre, particularly following in the footsteps of Alan Bates," said Walters. "The work of the centre, a unique organisation making a very important contribution to working actors and the industry in general, provides a vital space in London where actors can take part in all the dynamic and innovative work it does." With more than 2,500 members, the Actors Centre offers five rehearsal rooms and runs workshops and classes throughout the year led by leading actors and directors at the forefront of the film, television and theatre industries. Former patrons include Laurence Olivier and Alec Guinness. - NEW WORK - The Actors Centre philosophy is that training and development should coexist and overlap with the making of new work and the freedom to experiment. Many of the workshops offered are explorations of work-in-progress, new writing and radical innovations in form and content. The Actors Centre actively promotes relationships with the writers and directors whom it believes will shape the future of TV, theatre and film, providing them with the space and time to try out new ideas. - TRISTAN BATES THEATRE - The Tristan Bates Theatre was created through the generosity of Sir Alan Bates and his family, and is dedicated to the memory of his son Tristan, who died tragically at the age of nineteen at the outset of his acting career. The venue is now a springboard for projects generated within the Actors Ceentre, presenting the work that comes out of putting actors together with those who are telling new stories and throwing down new challenges to the actor. Tristan's twin brother, actor Benedick Bates, is a Vice President of the Actors Centre. - PROGRAMME OF CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS - The classes and workshops are offerred on the most flexible basis possible, at affordable prices - the benchmark rates are £17 per day for regular classes, £34 per day for TV and Film classes, with a maximum of twelve members enrolled on each class. The Actors Centre is able to undercut the market rate so substantially because of the generosity of its funders and tutors, who share a commitment to the ideal of continuous training and to maintaining standards of excellence in the acting profession. The vital importance of the work is recognised by the generous support of its funding partners, currently including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Five, ATG, UIP, Equity, The Spotlight and the Gulbenkian Foundation. - SOCIAL HUB - In addition to training and creative development, The Actors Centre is also a meeting place for actors in the centre of town and serves as a hub of the industry and an information exchange. The Green Room provides a welcome for members and their guests throughout the day and into the evening, and there is a programme of topical events, panel discussions and guest speakers. from Lives Remembered, The Times Register, 29 January 2004 Mark Stephens writes: The scale and quality of Alan Bates' work for the Actors Centre, which he endowed generously, demonstrates another side of his extraordinary character (obituary, December 29). Alan often said: "Ultimately acting is about compassion" and it was this insight that informed all the work he did on behalf of the Actors Centre and underpinned his grasp of why it was a crucial resource to the profession he loved. Following Alec Guinness, Alan became Patron of the Actors Centre in 1994 and embraced the role making it much more than a titular honour. Alan called in often, showed the Centre and theatre off to friends, hosted countless events and put together several shows - he was the kind of Patron that every charity dreams of. I remember him turning up at a board meeting unannounced just to say 'hello.' It was a wonderful entrance, which took us entirely by surprise. For an intense moment he discussed our refurbishment plans, and then left us enchanted. It was typical of the mysterious but profound encouragement, which made him so special to work with. Six weeks before his death I asked if he would consider signing more than a hundred letters to raise money for the creation of a media studio, which the profession desperately needs.  I arrived at his home with this stack of homework and, in between anecdotes, we spent two happy hours dreaming up suitable comments to put at the bottom of the letters. Memorial Contributions No project was closer to Alan's heart than the Tristan Bates Theatre at the Actors Centre. If you are in Europe and would like to make a contribution in his memory, please write your cheque to: The Actors Professional Centre Ltd, and send it to: Benedick Bates The Actors Centre 1A Tower Street London WC2H 9NP England if you are in the US, the Actors Centre has set up a company called The North American Friends of The Actors Centre, Inc., to enable Americans to make tax-deductible donations. Contributions can be sent to: Aaron Shapiro Shapiro & Lobel 111 West 40th Street New York, NY 10018 (212 768 0300) Cheques should be made out to The North American Friends of The Actors Centre, Inc. Please add that your contribution is in memory of Sir Alan Bates. Note: Many North American companies have matching gift programs. To find out if you can double your contribution to The Actors Centre, ask your human resources representative or consult an extensive list by following this link. You are welcome to contact the Bates Archive directly from anywhere to learn how easy it is to make a small contribution via PayPal. The Actors Centre 1A Tower Street, London WC2H 9NP · 020 7240 3940 E-mail: act@actorscentre.demon.co.uk Underground: Covent Garden or Leicester Square

rev020504