Mackintosh has supported the drama school and donated £1 million towards building the central theatre in the Peckham centre. The auditorium, which will be called 'The Mack', has been designed by Tom Piper, and sits in the middle of the purpose-built campus.
This news comes as Mountview announce their upcoming production of Les Misérables, after being granted permission to stage the first ever full-length student production of the show.
Mackintosh said: ‘I have been a supporter of Mountview for several decades, so I was delighted when this much-loved drama school took the adventurous step to expand its ambitions and move from Crouch End to create an exciting new home in multicultural Peckham. When I was approached by Dame Vikki Heywood and the much-missed André Ptaszynski to see if I would fund the completion of Mountview’s major performance space, I quickly became convinced to do so by the discovery of the sheer diversity of the student intake from every social background.’
‘Despite the difficulties caused by the pandemic, Mountview has managed to support its students through a very tough time and I have no doubts that British theatre will benefit from an exciting stream of fresh, highly skilled and authentic talent for generations to come.’
The school’s joint chief executives, Stephen Jameson and Sarah Preece, said: ‘We are incredibly grateful to Cameron for his generous gift and are delighted to name Mountview’s main theatre in his honour. This flexible theatre space will be an invaluable training ground for performers and theatre production artists, as well as community groups and visiting professional companies for generations to come.’
President Judi Dench said: ‘As President of Mountview, I am extremely grateful for Cameron’s very generous donation and continued commitment to drama training, and look forward to seeing the next generation of talent in action at the Mack.’
The school’s production of Les Misérables will run from 1 – 6 November, and will be performed by Mountview’s third-year BA Musical Theatre students as part of an autumn season of shows.