Emma Crowley Bennett, 31, from Newcastle, has spoken out about the daily abuse she endured at East 15 acting school from 2014 to 2017 at the hands of a drama teacher who, she says, still works in the theatre world today. Her revelations come as she prepares to reclaim her body in her Edinburgh Fringe show, The Nearly Naked Show.
Abuse disguised as 'high art'
Emma, who chose East 15 for its experimental reputation, described how the rehearsal room became a place of exploitation. 'We were naked every day,' she said. 'I would sometimes pretend I was on my period, other women would as well. We'd say, “Oh I'm just going to keep my knickers on today.”'
The teacher, then in his 60s, allegedly forced students to beat each other with books until one boy bled, and filmed everything on his iPad. 'He filmed the whole thing. Everything we did every day. He filmed it all. He filmed everything and just kept it on his iPad. So all of this is somewhere,' Emma recounted.
Brutal exercises and simulated rape
Emma was asked to imitate oral sex until she gagged, with a banana shoved down her throat to mark how far it could go. In another instance, male students simulated rape on female students who were forced to lie still. 'All the women had to lie on the floor, and the boys in the class would pick someone, and then he would go over and simulate having sex with them, but we weren't allowed to move,' she said.
The teacher dangled future tours in China and worldwide to keep students compliant, but those promises never materialised. 'He was a 60-odd year old man, and we were all 20 or whatever, and he would encourage us to do things, or say, “I want to see this, if you're comfortable, take your clothes off now.” If you didn't do it, you wouldn't get the part. So, basically, I did everything, and I got the main parts,' Emma explained.
Realisation and formal complaint
For years, Emma viewed her experience as a 'badge of honour', but in 2024, she made a formal complaint after learning the teacher was working with someone she had warned about him. 'I realised, “Argh, f**k. You're all friends,”' she recalled. 'You're all the same. Everything we did was wrong. And you're wrong.'
During the investigation, Emma felt belittled by the university. 'No one was ever replying to my emails or telling me what was going on. I was really scared, because I'd never done that before, showed a person in this light, this man, this older man who I'd been in the care of. And then everyone kind of didn't talk to me anymore,' she said.
University response and improvements
A spokesperson for the University of Essex and East 15 Acting School said: 'We are appalled by the issues that have been raised, which do not reflect the values of our university and East 15. This case was not reported in 2014, but having had this brought to our attention, we are appointing an independent reviewer to complete a full investigation into these very serious allegations.'
The spokesperson added that updated guidance on conduct and consent has been in place since 2021, and that the university encourages students to report incidents through its Report + Support system. Emma acknowledged that East 15 has improved, noting that people have been fired and intimacy coordinators are now present.
Reclaiming nakedness at Edinburgh Fringe
Emma wrote The Nearly Naked Show during the investigation, describing it as a 'freak show' celebrating her body through 'bizarre creatures' who are almost, but not quite, naked. 'It's quite satisfying to realise that I am actually a better artist than him,' she said. 'I used to think he was bigger than he is. But no one knows him. He's just some rank old man.'
Despite her progress, Emma still worries about encountering her abuser and his supporters. 'He's still making cr*p art, mainly with women. People idolise him, and you do get swept up in it… When you're young and someone's telling you all this stuff you've never thought of before, you think he's so clever. Then you realise he's not.'
Fanny Bleach: The Nearly Naked Show runs at 9:50pm at Assembly Roxy Downstairs throughout Edinburgh Fringe. Victim Support offers support to survivors of rape and sexual abuse on 0333 300 6389.
