Bird College – Conservatoire for Dance and Musical Theatre is an independent

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which involve the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. P ...

college, located in

Sidcup Sidcup is an area of south-east London, England, primarily in the London Borough of Bexley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, bordering the London Boroughs of London Borough of Bromley, Bromley and Royal Borough of Greenwich, Greenwich. It was ...

, South East London, in the

London Borough of Bexley The London Borough of Bexley () is a London boroughs, London borough in south-east London, forming part of Outer London. It has a population of 248,287. The main settlements are Sidcup, Erith, Bexleyheath, Belvedere, London, Belvedere, Crayford ...

. The college was founded as a dance school by Doreen Bird in 1946 and now provides specialist

vocational training Vocational education is education that prepares people for a Skilled worker, skilled craft. Vocational education can also be seen as that type of education given to an individual to prepare that individual to be gainfully employed or self em ...

in dance and musical theatre, at

further Further or furthur, alternatively farther, may refer to: * ''Furthur'' (bus), the Merry Pranksters' psychedelic bus *Further (band), a 1990s American indie rock band *Furthur (band) Furthur was an American rock band founded in 2009 by former G ...

and higher education level. The college is one of many providers of vocational performing arts training in the United Kingdom. In addition, the college also receives a grant from Bexley Council to provide music services to schools in the borough. The college prepares students for a professional career in the

and has a reputation of feeding artists into West End and Broadway theatre,

dance companies This is a list of notable Dance troupe, dance and Ballet company, ballet companies. Notes References See also

*List of folk dance performance groups *List of ballet companies in the United States *List of dancers {{Dance Dance compa ...

, television, film, pop music and other high-profile areas of the entertainments industry. Key areas of study include

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

, tap,

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

and

contemporary dance Contemporary dance is a genre of Concert dance, dance performance that developed during the mid-twentieth century and has since grown to become one of the dominant genres for formally trained dancers throughout the world, with particularly stron ...

, musical theatre, singing, voice and acting. Bird College is an accredited college of the Council for Dance Education and Training. Full-time students at the college study for either the Diploma in Professional Musical Theatre, validated by Trinity College, London, or the

BA Hons A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate education, undergraduate program in the liberal arts education, liberal arts, or, in some ca ...

in Professional Dance and Musical Theatre, validated by the

University of Greenwich The University of Greenwich is a public university located in London and Kent, United Kingdom. Previous names include Woolwich Polytechnic and Thames Polytechnic. The university's main campus is at the Old Royal Naval College, which along wi ...

. The college is also an approved dance centre of the

Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) is an international dance teaching and examination board based in London, England. The registered educational charity, which was established on 25 July 1904 as the ''Imperial Society of Dance T ...

(ISTD), and students can study towards the ISTD dance teaching qualifications.

History

Overview

Doreen Bird first founded the ''Doreen Bird School of Dance'' in Sidcup in 1946. This was the predecessor of today's Bird College. Bird initially taught pupils in her parents'

living room In Western architecture, a living room, also called a lounge room (Australian English), lounge (British English), sitting room (British English), or drawing room, is a room for relaxing and socializing in a Dwelling, residential house or apa ...

, rolling up the carpet to provide a suitable dance surface, although she later used a local church hall. In 1951, she established a full-time performing arts course with six students, which became known as the ''Doreen Bird College of Performing Arts''. In 1954 Doreen Bird acquired a former vicarage, which was renamed Vicarage House and would be the college's first permanent premises. In 1964, it moved to Studio House, which continued in daily use by the college until 2016. To enable the college to expand, it became necessary to seek larger premises and in 1979, Bird was successful in securing the freehold of a former Victorian school, which was converted into dance studios and was renamed Birkbeck Centre. Birkbeck Centre was officially opened by former Prime Minister, Sir Edward Heath and was the college's main campus until 2007. In 2007, as part of the college's contract to provide pre-vocational music and dance services on behalf of Bexley Council, Bird College was granted residency of the former Bexley Centre for Music & Dance, which became the college's principal campus, renamed The Centre. The college vacated all of its existing buildings early in 2016, with the acquisition of a new one-site facility on Alma Road in Sidcup. The Doreen Bird College of Performing Arts first offered a nationally recognised qualification with the introduction of a National Diploma validated by Trinity College. In 1997, the college became the first of its kind in the United Kingdom to offer a professional dance degree, with the introduction of the ''BA Hons Degree in Dance & Theatre Performance''. This course was specially devised for the college as a collaboration between Doreen Bird and the

who validate the qualification. In 2004, the National Diploma course was regraded to Level 6 on the National Qualifications Framework, becoming the ''National Diploma in Professional Musical Theatre''. The college has further expanded its range of courses with the introduction of the ''Foundation Degree in Creative Industries: Acting'' and the ''MA by Research in Dance & Theatre Performance'', both validated by the University of Greenwich. A one-year pre-vocational foundation course has also been established, which offers an intensive course of study for students who need extra preparation before applying for a place on a full professional course. Doreen Bird was principal of the Doreen Bird College of Performing Arts until her retirement in 1998, when she appointed Sue Passmore as Principal and Executive Director. It is also around this time that the name Bird College was first introduced, replacing the full title that had previously been used. Doreen Bird continued to be a trustee and Governor of the college for the rest of her life and in 1999 she was awarded an honorary Master of Arts by the

, in recognition of her achievements. She died on 4 February 2004 and a memorial service was held at The Actor's Church in

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...

. Before becoming Principal of the college in 1998, Sue Passmore had previously been Head of Theatre at the former Bush Davies School of Theatre Arts. She joined the Doreen Bird College of Performing Arts in 1988, as Artistic Co-ordinator and Head of Drama, becoming Artistic Director in 1989. She founded the Bird Theatre Company in 1991 and was also appointed to the Executive Council of the

. After becoming the college's Principal and Executive Director in 1998, she held the post for seven years. Passmore retired from Bird College in 2005. From 2005, the college was managed by Shirley Coen as Principal & Chief Executive and Luis Abreu as Deputy Principal. De Abreu is an alumnus of the college, serving as Deputy CEO & Artistic Director but formerly he was Head of Acting and Head of Performance Studies. In 2019 De Abreu became Joint Principal with Coen and in 2022 he became Principal and Artistic Director. Coen and De Abreu were both trustees of the Doreen Bird Foundation and retired from their positions in December 2024. In 2007 till 2021, Bird College became the providers of pre-vocational music and dance services for the

, working in partnership with Bexley Council. Since January 2025 ''Bird College - Conservatoire for Dance and Musical Theatre'' is currently led by Christopher Costigan as Principal/CEO and Dr Jamieson Dryburgh as Deputy Principal.

Productions

Live performances are an integral part of the curriculum, with students receiving performance opportunities throughout their training at the in-house Doreen Bird Foundation Theatre. The college used to perform in public under the title of 'Bird Theatre Company', staging productions both in the UK and Internationally. Bird College productions have been staged at the Whitworth Theatre, the

Bloomsbury Theatre The Bloomsbury Theatre is a theatre located on Gordon Street in Bloomsbury, within the London Borough of Camden. It is owned by University College London. The Theatre has a seating capacity of 541 and offers a professional programme of innovati ...

, the

Churchill Theatre The Churchill Theatre in Bromley, southeast London, was built by the London Borough of Bromley according to designs by the borough architect's department. The Churchill is an example of a repertory theatre built in the style of European opera ...

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is southeast of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 88,000 as of 2023. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, charte ...

, the

Peacock Theatre The Peacock Theatre (previously the Royalty Theatre) is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, located in Portugal Street, near Aldwych. The 999-seat house is owned by, and comprises part of the London School of Economics and Political ...

, the Shaw Theatre, Sadler's Wells, the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

and the Orchard Theatre in Dartford. Bird College takes part in the annual event, 'MOVE IT'. Bird students perform in the showcase and give demonstrations, with staff of the college teaching workshops and giving lectures.

Examinations

* ISTD

Facilities

Alma Road

In November, Bird College moved to its new campus on Alma Road in Sidcup, bringing all of the college's facilities onto one site for the first time. The Alma Road site was originally built as the Sidcup Secondary School (1955–1965), with two matching adjacent buildings; one for girls and one for boys. One of these buildings now houses Birkbeck Primary School. The second, which now houses Bird College, was used as the Sidcup Adult Education Centre prior to its acquisition by Bird College. An architectural competition was launched by the

Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

in the autumn of 2011, with the design brief for a complete overhaul of the site, providing state of the art facilities for the college. The winning designs were submitted by Hoskins Architects of Glasgow, work started in 2015. The college took partial residence of the building in the autumn of 2015 and almost full residence in November 2016.

Former

From 1965 onward the college was based at Studio House, a detached Georgian property occupying the corner plot of Station Road and Crescent Road in Sidcup. Originally a residential property, the ground floor reception rooms were used as dance studios until the 1990s, when a large studio/theatre extension was built on what was the rear garden. Studio House was the college's principal campus until the acquisition of Birkbeck Centre in the 1970s. Birkbeck Centre was a former Victorian school situated on the corner of Birkbeck Road and Clarence Crescent in Sidcup. Acquired for the college in 1977, it was extensively refurbished and re-opened by Prime Minister and Bexley MP, Sir Edward Heath. Birkbeck Centre comprised a number of dance studios of different sizes, including a large studio located in a pre-fabricated building to the rear of the property. Adjacent to Birkbeck Centre was the Admin Cottage, which housed the college's administrative, marketing and finance teams, the Principal's office and a teachers rest room and kitchen. Birkbeck Centre remained the college's primary campus until 2007 when the college moved to 'The Centre' on Station Road. Studio House, Birkbeck Centre and the Admin Cottage were sold in early 2016.

The Centre

The Centre Bird college's previous main site is a former school located on Station Road in Sidcup. It was a music and dance complex owned by the London Borough of Bexley and was previously known as the Bexley Academy of Music and Performing Arts. It was used primarily as a venue for pre-vocational dance and music training. When the College became the official approved provider for music provision in the

in 2007, Bird College took residency of the building and was responsible for the management of the site. The Centre offered (within the main building and annexes on site) a range of dance studios with sprung flooring and installed sound systems, tuition/practice rooms and performance opportunities in the larger studios.

Notable students

* Helen Anker, actress, singer, and dancer * Gary Avis, ballet dancer *

Warren Carlyle Warren Carlyle is a British director and choreographer who was born in Norwich, Norfolk, England. He received Drama Desk Award nominations for Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Director of a Musical for the 2009 revival of '' Finian's Rain ...

, director and choreographer *

Melanie C Melanie Jayne Chisholm (born 12 January 1974), commonly known as Melanie C or Mel C, is an English singer and songwriter. She rose to fame in the mid-1990s as a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Sporty Spice. W ...

, singer and songwriter *

Sue Hodge Sue Hodge (born 4 June 1957) is an English actress, best known for her role as the waitress Mimi Labonq in the BBC sitcom Allo 'Allo!''. Trained as a dancer and theatre performer at Bird College, she has performed in theatre and on televisi ...

, actress * Gavin Lee, actor * John Partridge, actor, dancer, singer, panelist and television presenter *

Lara Pulver Lara Pulver (born 1 September 1980) is an English actress, best known for playing Erin Watts in the BBC spy drama '' Spooks'' and Irene Adler on BBC's TV adaptation '' Sherlock''. She won the 2016 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actr ...

, actress * Aaron Sillis, dancer and choreographer

References

Resources

Doreen Bird – ISTD Autobiography

* ttps://officiallondontheatre.com/news/gavin-lee-71462/ Gavin Lee, Olivier Award Interview
Bexley Council Press Release – Junior Music & Dance Provision

Obituary of Doreen Bird – See page 4

Council for Dance Education & Training (CDET) – List of Accredited Dance & Musical Theatre Courses

Dance and Drama Awards (DADA) Scheme – List of colleges offering Government funded places

External links

*
Bird College – Official websiteCouncil for Dance Education and Training
{{authority control Schools of the performing arts in the United Kingdom Dance schools in the United Kingdom Drama schools in London Dance in London Educational institutions established in 1945 1945 establishments in England Education in the London Borough of Bexley Buildings and structures in Sidcup