Frequently Asked Questions

Ireland’s longest running theatre school

We have a rich resource of performance and teaching material that has been collected and curated over decades and is unparalleled in other facilities. Our goal is to provide students of all ages with clarity of speech, confidence in communication, creativity, and a lifelong love of the literary and theatrical arts.

Where is the Betty Ann Norton Theatre School?

We operate weekly speech and drama classes, and camps out of the following venues:

  • Cuisle Arts & Cultural Centre, St. Louis High School, Charleville Road, Rathmines, Dublin 6.
  • Presbyterian Church, York Road, Dun Laoghaire, South Dublin
  • Castleknock Parish Centre, Main Street, Castleknock, Dublin 15

There are two terms in an academic year (September-December and January-May) with additional 1-2 week long courses during school breaks and during the summertime.

You may start in any term.

The number of students varies from class to class, 10-15 is an average number. (Class sizes reduced to approximately 5-8 students during Covid-19). Our Step 1 and Step 2 classes are usually smaller with only 6-10 children per class.

We provide speech and drama classes for primary school children from age 4, and teenagers at secondary school level. We require students to be potty trained and comfortable interacting with other adults before coming to class.

All students perform in-class pieces at various stages throughout the year. In Term 2 students in the Step 2, Junior and Teen classes perform a group production publicly in a professional theatre, with industry professionals working as part of their technical team. Recent productions have taken place in The Pavillion Theatre Dun Laoghaire (2022), The Lir Academy Studio 1 (2023) and Smock Alley Theatre Main Stage (2025).

Yes! We provide preparation classes for performance diplomas from Trinity College London. You must be at least 16 years of age at the time of the exam. You can find our more about the syllabus here: https://www.trinitycollege.com/resource/?id=5614

We can also prepare you for performance diplomas from other exam boards. We recommend TCL or UWL examinations because they are recognised internationally.

We provide preparation classes for teaching diplomas from London College of Music and Drama at University of West London. There are minimum age requirements and prerequisites that vary depending on the level of diploma. An associates diploma usually takes 1 year to complete (part time) and can be taken in conjunction with a performance diploma. The exam is in two parts; 1) a practical examination to demonstrate your performance and teaching skills, 2) a written essay on a topic of your choosing relevant to teaching speech and drama. You can view the syllabus for the teaching diplomas here or get in touch with us and we can talk you through the process.

We have group and private class options available so you can work in a group to help keep you motivated, or on your own where you can take the course at your own pace. Unlike some Irish teaching qualifications, these diplomas are recognised internationally and will qualify you to work in places like the UK and South East Asia.

Yes! We have a range of summer course options for children and teens age 4-19. You can find out more about our camps for children and summer productions for older children by visiting our summer courses page.

Betty Ann Norton Theatre School are running summer camps in Castleknock, Rathmines, Ranelagh, Dun Laoghaire and Dundrum so if you live in South Dublin, there is sure to be a camp near you!

Join Our Acting School

You can enrol for your course of choice directly through our website. Click on your speech and drama course of choice. This will bring you to the booking page.