UK Drama Schools’ “Toxic Culture” Explored In Documentary Feature ‘Tread The Boards’
deadline.comEXCLUSIVE: UK drama schools are to be put in the spotlight in a documentary feature film that promises to pull the curtain back on their “toxic culture.” Tread The Boards premiered at the BAFTA qualifying Rhode Island International Film Festival last week and features interviews with former students from prestigious British schools.
Billed as a cross between Cheer and Victoria’s Secret: Angels and Demons, the film is directed by Katie Gibson, a former actress who attended London’s ArtsEd drama school, which boasts Andrew Lloyd Webber as its president.
Gibson told Deadline that she experienced bullying and a sexualized culture during her time at ArtsEd and started making the film after a 2021 barrister-led investigation into the school.
Gibson said she left ArtsEd as a “shell” of her former self and, after speaking to other graduates, she realized that they had similar experiences at their own schools. “It’s a secret world behind a curtain.
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