 The school began classes in September 1976 as a two-year, 20-student program housed at the College's Kensington Campus with a focus on both theatre performance and production.It moved and expanded in the following year with the acquisition of a performance space at 530 King Street East while training continued at the College's Casa Loma campus.Upon Shaw's retirement in 1986, Heinar Piller became Artistic Director of the school.