Pair honoured by Olivier Awards for steering Mountview Academy drama school’s move to Peckham

Two chiefs of a star-studded drama school have won one of the theatre world’s most prestigious awards for steering through its move to Peckham.

The Olivier Awards honoured Stephen Jameson and Sarah Preece’s (pictured above) achievements in relocating the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and for promoting accessibility and diversity.

The Special Recognition Olivier Awards recognised Mountview’s commitment to the arts and arts education in its new Southwark home.

Mountview alumnus and Olivier Award-winning actor Giles Terera presented the awards, and also in the audience was Lucy Anderson, who graduated from Mountview in 2019 and has been nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for Dear Evan Hansen.

Sarah and Stephen credited Southwark council for championing Mountview’s
move to Peckham Hill Street, enabling them to build their new home and reach out to the local community.

Since the move, Mountview has been working in schools across Southwark and initiating weekend and evening classes for young people, with means-tested bursaries for cut-price or free lessons.

Sarah and Stephen issued a joint statement which said: “We think all drama schools should be an active part of their community, so while our new building is designed for delivering world-class vocational training in performance and production arts, it is also a home for the professional community to develop and rehearse new work.

“It is also a home for the local community, including the 300 local young people that come through our doors each Saturday to take part in our young people’s programmes.”

The pair also thanked theatre industry leaders such as Sir Cameron Mackintosh, who made a gift of £1 million to Mountview, ensuring the completion of the new building.

Mountview is naming its main theatre in his honour. Since their appointment as joint chief executives in 2014, Sarah and Stephen have pioneered a new model of drama school that brings together performance, creative and vocational training, and community engagement.

Projects are designed to ensure everyone has access to drama training, irrespective to social background.

Its UK-wide scouting network helps Mountview identify talented young actors, musical theatre performers, stage managers, lighting, sound and scenic artists, and provides them with free auditions and bursaries.

Up to 58 per cent of its undergraduate acting students are black, Asian or minority ethnic.

Sarah and Stephen’s vision was to create a building which had teaching spaces but also a mixed financial economy that blends ticket sales and tuition fees with
commercial income.

Their vision is to teach the next generation of theatre makers by surrounding them with the best current practitioners.
Completed in just 17 months, and delivered on time and on budget, Mountview’s new home has two public theatres showing 20 shows each year by Mountview’s graduating students.

Staff also work with visiting professional and community companies.