RADA SUPPORTER NEWS SPRING 2016 DEAR RADA SUPPORTERS WELCOME TO THE SPRING TERM AT RADA A very happy 2016 to you. We hope you enjoyed the festive season. The Academy is a hive of activity with all students having returned to resume their training on Mon 04 Jan. Final year BA (Hons) Acting and Foundation Degree Technical Theatre students immediately began working either on productions to be staged in the Jerwood Vanbrugh and GBS Theatres, or as part of the company delivering the six short films we produce each year. During their final year, all students will have the opportunity to collaborate with RADA peers on both theatre and film productions, helping each individual to realise how their skills can be adapted and deepened. Later in the term, second year BA (Hons) Acting students will perform publicly for the first time in the Henry Marshall Prize Fights. This demonstration features Stage Combat skills presented alongside interludes of Flamenco; with both disciplines requiring strength, control and timing, the showcase highlights core principles woven throughout RADA training. A timely reminder of what students can expect from their final year at RADA.

And finally, there are a few further team updates to share with you. At the end of last term, Emma Richards left the Academy to take up the post of Head of New Business and Development at SPEAR. Just before the holidays we were delighted to welcome new recruits to the department: Carolina Artegiani joins us from Rambert Dance Company as Development Manager, Individual Giving and Ilaria Pizzichemi from the Globe Theatre as Development Assistant.

Our first theatre trip of 2016 will feature Red Velvet at the Garrick Theatre on Tue 26 Jan. The production couldn’t be more of a celebration of remarkable talent honed at RADA; written by alumna Lolita Chakrabarti, the production features Adrian Lester OBE in the lead role alongside graduates Alexander Cobb, Mark EdelHunt, Charlotte Lucas and Caroline Martin. Having played to sell-out houses at the Tricycle Theatre and on Broadway, Red Velvet is also the most recent addition to the Kenneth Branagh theatre season.

Thank you for supporting RADA. Your commitment makes all the activities highlighted in the following pages possible and we very much look forward to sharing the efforts of our students with you over the months ahead.

Preparations are also well underway for the RADA 2016 Gala, Shakespeare Shaken, taking place on Mon 22 Feb at The Underglobe, Shakespeare’s Globe. Associate Director Nona Shepphard will be directing the evening which promises performances by students and graduates, and theatrical surprises. Details of how you can join us for these special events are enclosed.

www.rada.ac.uk

Penny Saward Director of Development

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SPRING NEWSLETTER 2016

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2016

WHAT’S ON AT RADA

RADA Guest Nights celebrate productions staged each term by Acting and Technical students. Hosted by members of the RADA team, alongside graduates and creatives, the night includes a pre-show reception and a ticket to the show followed by either the aftershow discussion or post-show reception with the Company.

SPRING SEASON 2016 SPEAKING IN TONGUES by Andrew Bovell Directed by Lucy Skilbeck GBS Theatre, 03 – 13 Feb Cast: Luke Brady, Emma Denly, Laurence Stagg, Jordon Stevens Technical Team: Sam Bazeley, Daniel Bywater, Hannah Birtwistle-Crossland, Natasha Elcox, Julia Fraire, Drew Geen, Danni Haylett, Casimira Hayward-Peel, Amy Hicks, Ali Hunter, Iain Painting, Nuno Rocha-Santos, Ben Rowlatt, Matthew Tompkins, Candice Weaver, Anuska Zaremba-Pike

Tickets are £25 per person.

INSIGHT EVENTS HENRY MARSHALL PRIZE FIGHTS Jerwood Vanbrugh Theatre Sat 26 Mar | 7:30pm demonstration Open to Patron level Richard Attenborough Club Members and above

CHEZ FEYDEAU by Georges Feydeau Adapted and Directed by Geoff Bullen Jerwood Vanbrugh Theatre, 04 – 13 Feb Cast: Go To Hell Issy Brazier-Jones, George Caple, Natasha Cowley, David Jonsson, Thomas Martin, Evlyne Oyedokun, Philippa Quinn, Jack Riddiford, Maisie Robinson

All students undertaking the BA (Hons) Actor training will learn armed and unarmed stage combat skills in order to gain their Stage Fighting Proficiency qualification. This annual demonstration features quick-fire set pieces performed by second year acting students and also marks their first public performance in the Jerwood Vanbrugh Theatre. Supported by the Patton Stiftung: Sustainable Trust.

Bath Night Issy Brazier-Jones, David Jonsson, Philippa Quinn, Jack Riddiford

ACTING SHOWCASE (THE TREE) Jerwood Vanbrugh Theatre Wed 20 Apr | 7:00pm performance Open to Showcase level Richard Attenborough Club Members and above

Better Never Than Late Natasha Cowley, Thomas Martin, Philippa Quinn, Jack Riddiford

Fondly remembered as The Tree in honour of RADA’s founder Sir Herbert Beerbohm-Tree, the Acting Showcase marks a seminal moment for final year BA (Hons) Acting students as they perform two personally selected pieces to an audience of artist agents, casting directors and industry figures.

Technical Team: Imogen Davies, Julia Fraire, Drew Geen, Nathan Hamilton, Casimira Hayward-Peel, Amy Hicks, Richard Heappey, Suzanne Knight, Samantha Leese, Emily Luxford, Iain Painting, Kelly Rosser, Ben Rowlatt, Kate Shotliff, Daniel Smith, Neil Sweeney, Matthew Tompkins, Tom Turner, Elliot Williams, Thomas Wortley

Edelstein’s career as a couturier spanned 30 years and included a time working for Christian Dior. His clients included royalty, with one of his most iconic designs being the midnight blue dress Princess Diana wore when she danced with John Travolta on a visit to the White House in 1985.

The online auction will be launched on Mon 08 Feb. Bidding for these special prizes will be open to all, not just guests attending on the night. Advance bidding will close at midday on Mon 22 Feb, when highest bidders will be invited to continue their involvement via phone during the gala evening.

To complement this beautiful gown, the RADA Wardrobe Department is on hand to offer the winner a bespoke fitting and alterations service.

Details of how to access the online silent auction via the RADA website will be sent to you by email shortly. To whet your appetite in the interim, please see below one of the fantastic prizes that will be on offer: Beautiful bespoke forest green, velvet dress with jet bead embroidery gifted by renowned artist Emma Sergeant, designed by Victor Edelstein.

Terms & Conditions apply.

Shakespeare Shaken

Gala Ambassadors Bertie Carvel | Jane Horrocks | Mike Leigh OBE | Sharon Maughan | Maxine Peake | Fiona Shaw CBE | Michael Sheen OBE | Imelda Staunton CBE | Sylvia Syms OBE | Michelle Terry | Indira Varma

RADA GALA 2016

Monday 22 February 2016 The Underglobe, Shakespeare’s Globe

This special gala dinner will be a spectacular celebration and a brilliant opportunity to support RADA’s Training Excellence Fund, which ensures that world-leading performance and theatrecraft education is accessible to exceptionally talented students, regardless of their financial situation. Fiona Shaw CBE

FILM SHOWCASE Jerwood Vanbrugh Theatre Thu 21 Apr | 7:00pm screening Open to Platinum Patron level Richard Attenborough Club Members and above

KINDERTRANSPORT by Diane Samuels Directed by Psyche Stott Gielgud Theatre, 08 – 19 Mar PAINS OF YOUTH by Ferdinand Bruckner in a version by Martin Crimp Directed by Polly Findlay GBS Theatre, 09 – 19 Mar

Final year BA (Hons) Acting students, supported by the Foundation Degree in Technical Theatre in Stage Management (TTSM) and BA (Hons) in TTSM, make six short films every year as part of their film, television and radio training.

THE BROKEN HEART by John Ford Directed by Iqbal Khan Jerwood Vanbrugh Theatre, 10-19 Mar

Each film features an original screenplay commissioned by RADA, giving our students the opportunity to develop their skills whilst collaborating with contemporary writers.

Cast and technical team for March productions will be announced at a later date.

To book tickets for events or RADA productions, please contact Ilaria Pizzichemi on 020 7908 4799 or [email protected].

The Spring Guest Night will take place on Mon 08 Feb around Chez Feydeau. www.rada.ac.uk

AUCTION AT SHAKESPEARE SHAKEN In the lead up to this year’s Gala Dinner, Shakespeare Shaken, all silent auction items will be available for advance preview and bidding via the RADA website. The auction will feature an array of exclusive auction items, including unique experiences made possible by the wider RADA family.

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Programme Taittinger Champagne Reception: 7:00pm Dinner and Entertainment Carriages: 11:15pm

Tickets Table of eight £2,000

Image: Florence de Maré (PgDip Theatre Design) costume designs for The Winter’s Tale

(includes £600 donation, eligible for gift aid)

Pair £550 (includes £200 donation, eligible for gift aid)

To book tickets please contact RADA Development on 020 7908 4799 or [email protected]. www.rada.ac.uk

Individual £300 (includes £125 donation, eligible for gift aid)

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SPRING NEWSLETTER 2016

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2016

ALUMNI UPDATE Acting graduates O-T Fagbenle and Tamara Lawrance can be seen at the National Theatre in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom from Tue 26 Jan – Wed 18 May.

Stefanie Martini will soon be seen on ITV’s Endeavour and Doctor Thorne.

O-T FAGBENLE

STEFANIE MARTINI

Also running at the National until Sat 19 Mar is Waste, staring Hubert Burton, Louis Hilyer, Gerrard McArthur, and Doreen Mantle. HUBERT BURTON

JAMES GARNON

SALLY HAWKINS

James Garnon stars in the title role of Pericles at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, and is joined by fellow acting graduates Tom Kanji and Tia Bannon. Also featured in the Globe’s Winter season is Cymbeline with Emily Barber and Christopher Logan. Both productions run until Sat 21 Apr.

BBC takes on the second half of Shakespeare’s Plantagenet histories in the next series of The Hollow Crown which will air this year. RADA graduates include Sally Hawkins, Sophie Okonedo, Anton Lesser, Jason Watkins, Kyle Soller, Phoebe Fox and Samuel Valentine.

CLARE SEYMOUR

OLIVIA SANGSTER-BULLERS

SOPHIE OKONEDO

2015 Stage Electrics & Lighting Design graduate Cillian McNamara will be lighting The Poor Little Boy With No Arms in Dublin this January.

Previews open for The Crucible on Mon 29 Feb at the Walter Kerr Theatre which stars RADA acting graduates Ben Whishaw, Sophie Okonedo and Ciaran Hinds. CIARAN HINDS

CILLIAN MCNAMARA

James McArdle and Richard Riddell are in the latest installment of the Star Wars franchise Star Wars: The Force Awakens, in cinemas currently.

Acting graduate Lindsay Posner, who recently directed After Miss Julie here at RADA, will be directing The End of Longing at the Playhouse Theatre from Tue 02 Feb. LINDSAY POSNER

JAMES MCARDLE

James Norton, Jessie Buckley, Fenella Woolgar, Thomas Arnold, Tom Burke and Kenneth Cranham can all be seen in drama War and Peace currently on BBC One on Sunday nights. James Norton will also be returning in the second series of ITV drama Grantchester in February alongside recent graduate Sam Frenchum.

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Recent technical graduates Ellen Gould and Juliet Lano will be working in the props department at Glyndebourne this season. This will be Juliet’s second season at the venue.

HANNAH WALES

Ben Lamb and Cassie Layton are in the current production of Macbeth at the Young Vic which will run until Sat 23 Jan.

GEMMA ARTERTON

JAMIE PARKER

Olivia Sangster-Bullers is currently working as the Programme Coordinator for long running BBC production Holby City.

Hannah Wales, Postgraduate in Property Making, has been invited back to BBC’s The One Show as a Props Procurer.

Gemma Arterton takes over as Nell Gwynn in the play as it transfers from the Globe to the Apollo Theatre from Thu 04 Mar.

Technical graduate Clare Seymour is currently working of the third Bridget Jones film: Bridget Jones’s Baby.

BBC Drama Undercover stars Adrian Lester, Sophie Okonedo, Jude Akuwudike, Neil D’Souza, Tamara Lawrance, Robert Whitelock and is due for release this year.

JAMES NORTON

TARON EGERTON

Taron Egerton is starring as the title role in the biopic Eddie The Eagle which is due for release on Sun 01 May. He has just been nominated for BAFTA’s EE Rising Star Award.

BEN LAMB

Jamie Parker stars in Chichester Festival Theatre’s production of Guys and Dolls, playing at the Savoy Theatre until Sat 12 Mar. Parker will also be playing Harry Potter in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Palace Theatre opening in July.

OBITUARY We were saddened to hear of the loss of acting graduate Nicholas Smith. Nicholas was best known for his role as Mr Rumbold in Are You Being Served?

AWARDS Golden Globe Awards 2016 This year Tobias Menzies and Mark Rylance have been nominated for Golden Globe Awards. Rylance for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture and Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made For Television; Menzies for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made For Television.

RADA graduates have been awarded and nominated for a number of accolades in the last few months. Technical Theatre Awards 2015 RADA technical graduates nominated this year are: Nigel Pentland for The Douglas Turnbull Award for Outstanding Achievement in Company Management (an award named after a RADA Stage Management graduate) and Robin Morgan for PW Productions Award for Outstanding Achievement in Prop Making.

What’s On Stage Awards 2016 Public voting is open for the What’s On Stage awards until the end of January. Nominations are: Mark Rylance for Best Actor in a Play, Imelda Staunton for Best Actress in a Musical, Bertie Carvel and Ciaran Hinds for Best Supporting Actor in a Play, Patsy Ferran and Sian Brooke for Best Supporting Actress in a Play and takis for Best Set Design.

The Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2015 RADA once again picked up accolades at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards. Gemma Arterton and Imelda Staunton won Best Newcomer in a Musical and Best Musical Performance respectively. Ralph Fiennes, Kenneth Cranham, Gugu Mbath-Raw and Patsy Ferran were all nominated for awards.

BBC Audio Drama Awards 2016 RADA acting graduates nominated this year are: Susan Wokoma for Best Supporting Actor or Actress in an Audio Drama and Anton Lesser for Best Actor in an Audio Drama. Congratulations to Jane Horrocks, John Hurt and Phoebe Fox for being shortlisted.

New Year’s Honours Congratulations to Dame Siân Phillips DBE who has been honoured for her services to drama and to Imelda Staunton who has been awarded a CBE in the Honours List this year.

JULIET LANO

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SPRING NEWSLETTER 2016

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2016

CURRENT FUNDRAISING INITIATIVES

GBS DRESSING ROOMS The dressing rooms of the GBS Theatre are in urgent need of repair. Named after RADA benefactor George Bernard Shaw, our midsized theatre and the accompanying dressing rooms are situated in one of the oldest parts of the Gower Street premises. Built in 1930 and having survived bomb damage, the dressing rooms are now overdue structural investment and refurbishment. It is crucial that we have operable dressing rooms for this theatre. The GBS Theatre is used for student productions and mainstream curriculum teaching for 36 out of 52 weeks a year. Dressing rooms need to be comfortable and practical, providing a collegiate space for actors to gather, as well as a reflective area where individuals can rehearse lines, prepare and get into character.

WIDENING PARTICIPATION

TRAINING EXCELLENCE FUND

The RADA Elders Company was founded in 2013 to give a theatrical voice to an often forgotten section of the community. Meeting weekly throughout the year, the Elders Company is not for professional actors; it is a community initiative designed for people who are interested in developing drama skills in their retirement. The year-long programme culminates in a public performance of a new play, commissioned by RADA and staged in the GBS Theatre.

The Training Excellence Fund supports RADA students to be distinctive, outstanding artists. From core techniques to specialist masterclasses, we strive to deliver innovative, rigorous training to talented young people. With an emphasis on one-to-one and small group teaching delivered by leading tutors, visiting directors, designers and graduate mentors, this Fund enables our students to develop the practical skills and emotional intelligence for enduring careers as artists and craftspeople.

The 2015-16 Company presented Our Father by Deborah Bruce, directed by RADA graduate and Elders Company Director Vivan Munn.

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We are grateful to the Wates Family Enterprise Foundation and the Kirby Laing Foundation who have both kindly pledged to match funds towards this vital project. In total, we need to raise £50,000 to undertake the repairs and take steps to counter further depredation in the future. For more information about donating to this campaign please contact RADA Development on 020 7908 4799 or development @rada.ac.uk.

My work with the Elders has been extremely rewarding and I feel privileged to have been involved in helping to establish the Company as one of our flagship outreach programmes. Vivian Munn Elders Company Director

If you are interested in becoming a member of the RADA Elders Company through attending one-off workshops in 2016, or auditioning to join the main Company in 2017, please contact Carys Williams, Widening Participation Officer on [email protected] / 020 7636 7076.

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RADA provides a safe place to explore your own work without distraction. It is a place to explore vulnerability and identify your place in society. If we as actors are constantly growing then theatre itself can grow and it can re-invent itself. RADA teaches students to be artists but also to understand the changing nature of the sector. What makes our graduates stand out is their ability to consistently mould themselves.

In an industry notorious for short term and intermittent employment, RADA graduates have an impressive record; since graduating six years ago, 97% of the 2011 acting student cohort are still actively working in the industry.

Our job is now to be the best we can be… in order to do justice to the support and training received at RADA. Surrounded by a wealth of experience… these three years of solid support will give me confidence in whatever my endeavours are.

Each year we seek to raise over £1.2 million to safeguard our training for future generations of RADA students. Below are examples of how we seek support for this important Fund.

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The RADA Elders Company is supported by ICAP.

Jamael Westman BA (Hons) Acting student

THE BIG GIVE

FUNDRAISING EVENTS

The Big Give Christmas Challenge held last term helps us to secure much needed support towards the Training Excellence Fund, whilst also helping to raise greater awareness of the Academy’s charitable need.

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At the 2015 Christmas Concert we raised nearly £20,000 towards the Training Excellence Fund. This event was a memorable showcase of RADA talent.

Thank you to Christine and Philip Carne MBE for once again championing our involvement with this special campaign, supported by The Reed Foundation. Over just two days we were able to secure over £40,000. Thank you to everyone who generously donated to the campaign.

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Our culture is in the hands of our artists. Whether it be music, dance, theatre, TV or film it is through these forms that we express ourselves as a nation. When it comes to acting and the dramatic arts, Britain, year after year, turns out some of the best artists in the world. I don’t think that’s an accident. I think it’s because they are trained to the highest standards. I feel extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to train at RADA. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the Academy. Adrian Lester OBE The Big Give Graduate Ambassador 2015

www.rada.ac.uk

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Lowri Izzard, BA (Hons) in Acting student and her buddy Trystan Gravelle (Graduate) perform at the 2015 concert. Registered Charity No. 312819

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2016

A special invitation to

RED VELVET by RADA graduate Lolita Chakrabarti with RADA graduate Adrian Lester as Ira Aldridge Garrick Theatre Tue 26 Jan at 7:30pm

Photograph by Hugo Glendinning

Please join us for Red Velvet at the Garrick Theatre. The evening will include a post-show reception with Adrian Lester and other members of the cast.

RADA President Sir Kenneth Branagh said, ‘Writing, direction and performance are exceptional in Red Velvet. I’m immensely proud to be presenting this work. I was aware of its development from its inception and believe Lolita Chakrabarti has written an important and exhilarating play which in its discussion of performance, politics, and race is as entertaining as it is illuminating.’

Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, 1833. Edmund Kean, the greatest actor of his generation, has collapsed on stage whilst playing Othello. A young black American actor has been asked to take over the role. But as the public riot in the streets over the abolition of slavery, how will the cast, critics and audience react to the revolution taking place in the theatre?

Premium Ticket with post show reception: £140 (£95 ticket and £45 suggested donation) Band A Ticket with post show reception: £110 (£65 ticket and £45 suggested donation)

This multi-award winning play, which originally premiered at the Tricycle Theatre, before transferring to St Ann’s Warehouse in New York, will be the third production in the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company season at the Garrick Theatre and will be directed by Indhu Rubasingham.

Each ticket includes a donation to RADA’s Training Excellence Fund which is eligible for gift aid. To book please contact RADA Development on 020 7908 4799 or [email protected].

THANK YOU…

Christmas was a busy time at RADA and we wanted to say thank you to everyone who helped with the bucket collections at the Royal Albert Hall. These raised nearly £8,000 towards the Student Hardship Fund. DEVELOPMENT TEAM Penny Saward Director of Development +44 (0)20 7908 4778 [email protected]

Evie Hone Development Officer +44 (0)20 7908 4806 [email protected]

Carolina Artegiani Development Manager, Individual Giving +44 (0)20 7908 4807 [email protected]

Ilaria Pizzichemi Development Assistant +44 (0)20 7908 4799 [email protected]

Sarah Ruff Development Manager, Events +44 (0)20 7908 4798 [email protected] www.rada.ac.uk

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