Thank you for visiting my fundraising page. I have recently been lucky enough to secure a place to study at The Drama Centre London on their three year BA Acting programme. Competition for places is very high and I am one of only 32 people that have been selected for this prestigious course from a pool of around 1600 applicants. Places are offered to those who can demonstrate a high level of talent and commitment, which, in the view of the audition panels, could lead after professional training to a successful career. It has taken me two years worth of auditions to gain a place. My long term life ambition has always been to become a successful creative artist and working actor. The course at The Drama Centre is an intensive and rigorous three year programme that will prepare me for the demanding and competitive world of professional acting. Over the years 2001-2006, 85% of The Drama Centre's UK graduates secured acting employment. The school has a fantastic track record, as shown by the achievements of it's alumni which include Frances de la Tour, Simon Callow, Don Warrington, Geraldine James, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Helen McCrory, Paul Bettany, Penelope Wilton, Anne-Marie Duff and John Simm.

    Unfortunately this fantastic opportunity does not come cheaply and the course fees alone are £3,000 per year. In addition to this, the course has 12 hours or more of timetabled classes a day, 5 days or more a week, which necessitates living nearby to the school (which is based in Farringdon) and also means that holding down a part time job during termtime is unrealistic. As I come from a single parent family our income is very low, seeing that my mother works as a Dental Nurse for the NHS (for which she is entirely overworked and underpaid). Added to this is the fact that I have already gained a First Class Honours degree in Drama from the University of Bristol which means I am not entitled to receive any more student support from the government. Having already achieved a degree in Drama, it may seem strange that I want to undertake another BA programme but I feel that whilst I have a strong theoretical background in drama, my practical acting skills still need a lot of work, and this is something that I did not focus on as much as I had hoped during my time at University. A report compiled by Manpower Studies on behalf of the Arts Council for England found that 86% of actors working in the industry had received formal professional training.

    My love of acting has been with me since early childhood. I attended Tiffin Boys' School in Kingston Upon Thames where I took part in many school productions, with roles such as Aerial in The Tempest, Arthuro Ui in The Resistable Rise of Arthuro Ui, Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Governor in The Government Inspector. During this time I was also an active participant of the National Youth Music Theatre and as part of the company for The Beggar's Opera I was lucky enough to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Swan, Stratford and The Lyric Hammersmith. Upon leaving school I took a gap year and was fortunate enough to be part of the company for Steve Thompson's first play SpinCycle. His current play Whipping It Up is now performing in the West End at The Ambassadors Theatre following a sellout run at the Bush Theatre.

    Once at Bristol University I became heavily involved in the drama societies, where I performed in a variety of plays including the role of Eddie Carbone in A View From The Bridge, Dukes Frederick/Senior in As You Like It, John Wilkes Booth in Assassins and Officer Krupke in West Side Story as well as taking part in British Touring Shakespeare's professional tour of The Taming of The Shrew at outdoor venues across the South West of England. I also acted in a number of student produced short films during my time at university. This was in addition to composing original music for productions of Antigone, Volpone and East. I also performed in a professional jazz band and I was the Musical Director and conductor for a production of Guys and Dolls. Another project which I was fortunate enough to be involved in, which formed part of my degree course, was performing Nathaniel Richards' The Tragedy of Messallina (in it's first performance since 1640) on a full reconstruction of the original Elizabethan Phoenix Theatre in London which burnt down in 1617, based on Inigo Jones original building plans. This performance was under candlelight and was an utterly unique performance experience.

    I very much enjoyed my degree but I still feel that a three year intensive full-time actor training would benefit me highly when pursuing my chosen profession of acting, as my experience so far has been limited to school and university productions as well as a small number of professional acting jobs. My acting experience so far encompasses a very wide variety of styles and indeed venues and I feel this is a good launch pad for training. Despite this experience, I have a lot to learn when it comes to my acting technique. I also feel I have taken this long to mature enough to be ready to undertake the intensive rigours of a full time actor-training.

    Since I received confirmation of my place at The Drama Centre, I have been working two jobs totalling around 60+ hours a week and I am exploring all other possible funding avenues, including private sponsorship, bursaries and scholarships. I plan to work as much as possible during the vacations (which are short at only three weeks for Christmas, two weeks for Easter and six weeks for the summer). I will be applying for as many scholarships, bursaries and sponsorship schemes as I am eligible for. I am also going to organise an evening of music, songs and scenes at my local church to try to help raise money for my studies. In total I will realistically need to raise around £30,000 to cover course fees, study materials and living and maintenance expenses. Any amount, large or small, that you would be able to provide towards these costs would be greatly appreciated.

    Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: University of the Arts London will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

So please sponsor me now!

Many thanks for your support.