Britannia rules the stage

Theatre is the tough training ground that has made UK actors a constant feature of awards ceremonies the world over. Al Senter goes behind the scenes to find out why our luvvies are in such demand

London is the theatre capital of the world. Every night the curtains go up on more than 100 shows from West End musicals to Shakespeare at the Globe Theatre to pub productions in attic rooms. Outside the capital, the RSC is displaying renewed vigour, while regional theatres are showing what can be achieved with adequate funding. North of the border, the new National Theatre of Scotland, an organisation rather than a bricks-and-mortar building, has been an instant success, with its production of Black Watch the hit of last year's Edinburgh Festival.

When the awards season is in full swing, from BAFTAs to Tonys, Golden Globes to the Oscars, Brits are usually out in force, strongly represented in the nominations and often walking off with the biggest spoils. For her extraordinary performance in The Queen, Dame Helen Mirren seems to have collected every gong going. So why, and how, does Britain produce such great actors?

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For a start, there is a ready supply of talent. Despite only a handful of places at British drama schools, they are swamped with applicants. Peter James, principal at LAMDA, reports that the 54 places he offers each year attract almost 3,000 hopefuls, none of them daunted by the poor prospects fledgling actors face on graduation.