Mr Kemp said he feared the problem could wipe out audience interest in “plays of language” — including works by Shakespeare, Wilde, Coward and Pinter. He said Rada, whose alumni include Vivien Leigh and Ralph Fiennes, has even had to scrap its long-standing sight reading test of Charles Dickens because it was “so painful” to hear. It has introduced grammar lessons and is rethinking its voice training.