insiderblmA top drama school has begun an internal investigation after students claimed they had been sexually harassed.
The Academy of Live and Recorded Arts (Alra) said it was “heartbroken” after learning of the allegations against former staff members.
In a statement, Alra said The Telegraph had brought the sexual misconduct claims to their attention on 20 May.
It added the wellbeing of all at the school was “of the upmost importance”.
The school said it had a zero tolerance policy on sexual harassment and bullying and an “equality, inclusion and cohesion lead” will ensure Alra “takes accountability for any failure”.
The school, which counts actress Miranda Hart among its former students, is based in London and Wigan, Greater Manchester.
It said an internal investigation was under way and it had put in place measures to allow anyone with information to come forward.
‘Space to speak’
These include a dedicated email address for people to report misconduct, with only senior staff and the Alra board able to access the messages.
There is also an anonymous online portal for complaints.
“We have emailed all staff and students across both campuses to offer support and share our reporting options and policies,” it added.
“We have invested money in further support spaces for staff and additional counselling support for students. We ask that anyone affected does not hold back from asking for a space to speak, we will work as quickly as we can to find you support and listen to your concerns.
“Any information that comes to light within this investigation will be shared with the relevant authorities and we are already working to make contact with the appropriate people.”
Racism claims
The Graduate Advisory Board, made up of recent graduates and including two female members, is aware of the allegations.
The statement added: “The organisation has undergone radical change over the last few months with a restructure, training, an external investigation into historic complaints (centred on but not exclusively related to racism) and a review of policies.
“Many of these areas are scheduled for regular review so that we can adapt to serve our students to the highest possible standard. We have acknowledged historic failings over racism and we take sexual harassment just as seriously.”
In January, the school’s principal Adrian Hall left his post following widespread allegations of racism against the drama school and a six-month internal investigation.
In September 2020, 13 graduates had written an open letter calling for an overhaul of Alra’s leadership and accusing the school of failing to address systemic racism within the institution.
The new allegations of misconduct come at a time when the wider industry’s approach to the issues is already facing scrutiny.
Most recently, concerns were raised after actor Noel Clarke was accused of bullying and sexually harassing women.
Mr Clarke, whose Bafta award for outstanding contribution to cinema was suspended after the accusations were made public by The Guardian, has said he is sorry if his past behaviour had made anyone feel uncomfortable, but he has “vehemently” denied any sexual misconduct or wrongdoing.
