Waiting in the Wings for Bristol Old Vic

Daniel Day-Lewis, Patrick Stewart�James Costello Ladanyi?

I am incredibly fortunate to have been offered a place at the prestigious Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in the United Kingdom. One of just three UK Drama Schools included in the distinguished Conservatoire for Dance and Drama collective, Bristol Old Vic is rated as one of the very best acting institutions in the world. 

The 'Masters: Professional Acting' program at Bristol Old Vic is highly selective.

The school accepts just fourteen students worldwide each year for the intense, year-long training course designed to prepare its students for the rigours of the professional acting industry. Bristol Old Vic has gained a reputation for producing outstanding young acting talent since its foundation by the great Laurence Olivier in 1946. Daniel Day-Lewis, Patrick Stewart, Jeremy Irons, Olivia Coleman, Mark Strong, Naomi Harris, Theo James and many other acclaimed actors trained at BOVTS before finding success across Theatre, Film and Television. 

How Did I Get Here?

Training at an New Zealand dramatic conservatoire has been my primary goal since finishing secondary school in 2013. I retained an incessant drive to make it happen throughout my Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and History at Victoria University of Wellington (2014-2016), and after graduating I worked, researched, planned and saved for fifteen months to make my goal a feasible possibility.

In March 2018 I rolled the dice, packed up my life in Wellington, and flew to the UK for auditions at seven different schools in five different cities. Thankfully, my years of planning paid off, and I was offered a place at my number one dream school: Bristol Old Vic.

The Value of Support:

The prestigious nature of Bristol Old Vic unfortunately comes with a large price tag. The fees for my training are �23,010, approximately $46,100 NZD. While I worked hard to save $20,000 in wages during 2017, I am still a long way off the funds I need to pay for my training.

A significant boost to my fundraising efforts was recently being awarded the 2018 Dame Malvina Major Foundation: Arts Excellence Award for the Wellington region. Being honoured with this $6,000 scholarship for "outstanding ability and development potential in the performing arts" is incredible financial support, however I still have a long way to go to cover the requisite course fees at BOVTS.

BUT I've made it easy for you to help!

I have launched this Boosted campaign to reach out to any family, friends, industry practitioners and potential philanthropists who might be able to give a small donation to my cause. My goal is to raise $4,000 over 50 days,  which will all go directly towards paying my course fees in September. Boosted is an all-or-nothing  platform, so I must hit my 4k target in order to receive the funds.

Any donation, word-of-mouth, or encouragement could make all the difference in helping me pursue my acting dream.

Ng? mihi & much love.

JCL xx


http://www.dmmfoundation.org.nz/dame-malvina-major-foundation-award-for-promising-wellington-actor/

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU1807/S00101/dame-malvina-major-foundation-award.htm