NSDF Alumni
This is a representative sample of alumni of the National Student Drama Festival from the past 52 years. This list details: name, profession and examples of their work.
Khalid Abdalla, Actor – United 93, The Kite Runner
Bill Alexander, Director – former Artistic Director Birmingham Rep
Annabelle Apsion, Actress - Shameless
Paul Arditti, Sound Designer - Billy Elliott
Michael Attenborough, Director - Artistic Director The Almeida
David Bamber, Actor – Valkyrie
Julia Bardsley, Director - former Co-Artistic Director Young Vic
Patrick Barlow, Actor, Absolutely Fabulous
Simon Russell Beale, Actor - National Theatre, RSC
Nigel Betts, Actor – RSC, WYP
Michael Billington, Drama Critic – The Guardian
Baroness Tessa Blackstone – former Minister of Arts, DCMS
Brian Blessed, Actor – Flash Gordon, Phantom Menace
Laurence Boswell, Director - former Artistic Director Watford Palace Theatre
Michael Boyd, Director - Artistic Director RSC
Jeremy Brock, Script Writer - Mrs Brown
Alan Brodie, Agent – Alan Brodie
Michelle Butt, Actress – Emerdale
Dominic Cavendish, Drama Critic – The Telegraph
Ian Charleson, Actor – Chariots of Fire
Caryl Churchill, Playwright – Top Girls
Anthony Clarke, Director - Artistic Director Hampstead Theatre
Simon Curtis, Film Producer, Director – The Colour of Justice
Howard Davies, Director – Moon for the Misbegotten
Nicholas de Jongh, Drama Critic – The Evening Standard
Graham Devlin former Deputy Chief Executive and Acting Chief Executive of the Arts Council of England
Simon Donald, Writer – Murphy’s Law
Alan Dossor, Director - former Artistic Director of Liverpool Everyman
Keith Drinkel, Actor – Coronation Street
Matthew Dunster, Actor – Royal Court, Out of Joint
Geoffrey Durham, Magician – The Great Soprendo
Adrian Edmondson, Actor – The Young Ones
Ben Elton, Comedian and Writer – We Will Rock You
Michael Elwyn, Actor – Robin Hood
Jack Emery, Director and Writer - A Remnant
Jane Edwardes, Drama Critic – Time Out
Marianne Elliott, Director – National Theatre
Richard Eyre (NSDF Selector), Director - former Artistic Director National Theatre
David Farr, Director – Artistic Director, Lyric Hammersmith
Vicky Featherstone, Director - Artistic Director Scottish National Theatre
Tim Fountain, Playwright – Sex Addict
Stephen Fry, Actor, Comedian, Writer – Cinderella
Tony Garnett, Producer – Beautiful Thing
Mark Gatiss, Actor/Performer - League Of Gentlemen
John Godber, Playwright – Bouncers
Buzz Goodbody, Director
Tony Grounds, Writer – When I’m 64
Terry Hands, Director - Artistic Director Theatre Clwyd
Lena Hey, Actress – Band of Gold
Nick Hern, Publisher – Nick Hern Books
Paul Hilton, Actor – National Theatre
Bernard Hill, Actor – Joy Division
Tyrone Huggins, Actor – National Theatre
Geoffrey Hutchings, Actor – Topsy-Turvey
Colin Jeavons, Actor – House of Cards
Stephen Jeffreys, Playwright – The Libertine
Martin Jenkins, Actor – Mark Goucher tours
Alex Jennings, Actor – National Theatre
Andy Jordan, founded Bristol Express
Peter Jukes, Writer and Producer - BBC
Charlotte Keatley, Writer - My Mother Said I Never Should
Jonathan Kerrigan, Actor – Casualty
Daniel Kitson, Comedian
Timothy Knightley, Actor – RSC
Bill Lebitter, Actor – Lovejoy
Margot Leicester, Actress – Five Days
Martin Lowe, Musical Director - Jerry Springer
Phelim Mcdermott, Artistic Director Improbable Theatre - Shockheaded Peter
Barbara Matthews, Producer - ACE
Rik Mayall, Actor, Writer, Comedian – The Young Ones
Nicola McCartney, Playwright – Heritage
Kay Mellor, Actress – West Yorkshire Playhouse
Roger Michell, Director – Notting Hill
Tom Miles, Jerry Springer – The Opera
Ben Miller, Actor – The Worst Week of My Life
Ann Mitchell, Actress – RSC
Peter Morris, Writer – Marge
Donna Munday, former Chief Executive Royal and Derngate Theatres, Northampton
Braham Murray, Director - Artistic Director Royal Exchange Theatre
Bruce Myers, Actor – Peter Brook Company
John Nettles, Actor – Midsommer Murders
Caro Newling, Producer - SCAMP
Cyril Nri, Actor – National Theatre
Paddy O’Kane, Actor – National Theatre
Andy Parsons, Actor, Comedian, Presenter – Lenny Henry Show
Steve Pemberton, Actor/Performer - League Of Gentlemen
Ronald Pickup, Actor – Holby City
Tim Pigott-Smith, Actor – Gangs of New York
Bruno Poet, Lighting Designer – The Lemon Princess
Pete Postlethwaite, Actor – In the Name of the Father
Dennis Potter, Writer – Blue Remembered Hills
Lucy Prebble, Writer – Secret Diary of A Call Girl
Mark Ravenhill, Writer – Shopping and Fucking
Laurie Sansom, Director - Artistic Director Royal and Derngate Theatres
Joanna Scanlan, Actress – Little Britain
Joseph Seelig, Co-Founder, London International Mime Festival
Nabil Shaban, Actor - Co-founder of Graeae
Antony Sher, Actor – National Theatre
Wole Soyinka, Playwright – winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature
Tim Supple, Director - former Artistic Director of Young Vic
Meera Syal Actor and Comedian – National Theatre
Polly Teale, Director - Joint Artistic Director Shared Experience Theatre
John Tiffany, Director - Associate DirectorNational Theatre of Scotland
Sandi Toksvig, Actress and Comedien - Cinderella
Jeremy Treglown, Writer – Former Editor Times Literary Supplement
Unlimited Theatre (Liz Margee, Jon Spooner and Chris Thorpe) Performers and Devisors
Glen Walford, Director – Educating Rita
Michael Wearing, TV Producer – Our Friends in the North
Timothy West, Actor – National Theatre
Larry Westland MBE, Founder Music & Youth Schools Prom
Erica Whyman, Artistic Director of Northern Stage
Ruth Wilson, Actress – Jane Eyre
Snoo Wilson, Playwright – Pignight
Clive Wolfe, former Artistic Director of NSDF
Nicholas Woodeson, Actor – Arab Israeli Cookbook
Alan Yentob, Creative Director BBC
Michael York, Actor – Cabaret
