This Corona School, run by Mary Greco, is not connected to the original Corona Academy, run by Rona Knight, and her sister, Muriel Martin. It was this original school which turned out such pupils as Ray Winstione, Nicholas Lyndhurst,Denis Waterman etc. Rona Knight was most insistent that, following her retirement, the Corona name would not be connected to any other establishment This is why, when Robin Philips started his school ( with Rona Knight’s permission), the name was changed to Ravenscourt.Report comment

I am surprised, and saddened that Ray Winstone has’t realised that the Corona mentioned in the above article is not the same school he attended. As Erin has said, the REAL Corona closed in 1989 when Rona Knight retired after all those successful years of training many, many, stars of screen, both big and small. The use of the original name of Corona has angered and upset dozens of past students who see the use of the name as a great disloyalty to the memory of a wonderfully talented woman. The actor/teachers mentioned in the article, Bill Hepper and Vernon Morris, have also never taught at this new school. One lives in the states and the other has been dead for years.
I am also amased that this article has appeared in The Stage. Surely there must still be people working for this paper who know the truth, unlike the daily rags who published the story first, who did not research their subject before going to press.Report comment

At last this awful place has finally closed. It had absolutely nothing to do with the original Corona Theatre School – they simply lived off the reputation and name – you only have to look at the school website and view their list of previous students and see the names – what utter garbage – the ONLY connection was that they kept the same uniform and that was it. Staff changed constantly, every time I rang there was a new head teacher! My daughter went there for three years – she went from being a top student to learning nothing – the worst teaching I have known, three moves in three years without even a warning to parents. The best person there was Jayne Knight and when she left that was it. How this school had the nerve to continue is unbelievable. People actually laughed out loud when I told them my daughter went there – luckily we took her out just in time.Report comment

Agree with everything said above. Very surprised The Stage has not done its research, especially since the company running this school went into liquidation in March 2012. If you want you can track the fascinating history of companies using the name Corona Theatre at companies house.Report comment

Facts not fiction, I feel sad that the Stage would print a story without researching the facts, this is poor reporting and i feel that had The Stage looked into this a bit further then perhaps people like Ray Winstone ( whom i was a mate with at THE Corona) would not have been made to look foolish. Shame on you The Stage check it out first, Corona Academy was unique. Everyone associated with The Corona Academy is saddened by this mis-representation of what was the best Stage school in the country at the timeReport comment

The School that is closing under the name of CORONA has nothing whatsoever to do with the old Corona Academy founded and run by Rona Knight.
Please get your fact right before printing this nonsense…..
There was only ONE “Corona” .
I was a pupil and teacher there for many years .When Rona Knight retired in 1989,and the school closed. The name of the new school was called “The Ravenscourt School ,and had NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ORIGINAL AND ONLY “CORONA”Report comment