Elsie Fogerty founded The Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art at the Royal Albert Hall in 1906. Fogerty was a specialist in speech training and held a firm belief in the social importance of education. She was committed to advancing the study of theatre as an academic discipline. In 1957 the School moved to the Embassy Theatre at Swiss Cottage and by 1961 three distinct departments had been established within Central. The Stage department was running its three-year course for actors and a two-year course for stage managers. The Teacher Training department was preparing students for its own Diploma, which was a recognised teaching qualification, and for the London University Diploma in Dramatic Art. Famous alumni include Lord Laurence Olivier, Vanessa Redgrave, Dame Judi Dench, Sir Cameron Mackintosh and Harold Pinter, and the School has had some famous staff including Yat Malmgren, Cicely Berry, John Allen and Litz Pisk. In 2004 the Privy Council granted Central the power to award its own taught degrees and from September 2005 Central became a college of the University of London.