Prior to 1999, funding decisions were made by local authorities in response to applications from would-be students living in their regions. Some authorities made funds available, others offered no financial assistance at all, and the prospect of a professional career could depend entirely on where one lived.
HISTORY OF DaDA
The alternative to the limited amount of local authority funding available was for students to meet the cost of training, accommodation and subsistence themselves. Over a three year period this could amount to anything between £50,000-£70,000 by today's standards. The consequence was that only those who lived in the 'right' county or who were in a position to pay privately were able to train and the British performing arts industry suffered as a result.
Since their introduction in 1999, DaDAs have enabled thousands of the country's most talented young actors, dancers, musical theatre artists and theatre technicians to access the highest standards of professional vocational training and education in the performing arts.
From a wide-range of cultural, socio-economic and different ability backgrounds, DaDA students have undertaken a programme of rigorous, intensive and highly specialised study in learning environments where the sole focus is on the excellence of professional achievement.