Riley Is Going To London!
Donation protected
Hello Friends and Family!
Your old friend Riley Neldam here. The time has come for me to embark on my 2 year journey to London, England in pursuit of my Master of Fine Arts degree from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
My Story
Last December I made the choice to put myself out there for a couple of graduate programs for acting and had set my sights set exclusively on the UK. The MFA acting program at LAMDA was always my first choice and as luck would have it, it was also the first school I would be auditioning for.
The day of the audition was something of a blur: Up at 6AM, audition at the UCLA campus at 9AM, and then back on the road to start a 2-show day at South Coast Repertory Theatre in Costa Mesa, California (we had just had our opening night performance the night before). It was exactly 1 week later, literally during the act of pulling on my pants to make it to that week's matinee, that I got the call from the school, offering me a place in the upcoming MFA program.
LAMDA is one hell of a school...many of the most respected actors of this generation and of generations prior have trained there: John Lithgow, David Oyelowo, Benedict Cumberbatch, Brian Cox, Malcolm McDowell, David Suchet and Chiwetel Ejiofor, just to name a few. I am incredibly humbled to be able to train at this institution and I know that committing myself to this program is one of the most significant choices I have ever made in my life.
I have been working as a professional actor for 9 years and have been a card-carrying SAG-AFTRA and AEA union member for 7 and have reached the conclusion that I am a lifer in this pursuit. After nearly a decade of journeyman work as an artist, I am readier than ever to commit myself to a lifetime of meaningful contribution to the global artistic landscape (USA, UK and BEYOND!)
I am ready to take this challenge on headfirst BUT I NEED YOUR HELP!
Bags Are Packed...
I have less than two months before the start of my MFA program (September 23rd, 2019) and LESS THAN ONE MONTH before I touch down in London, England, to get settled. At this moment, the majority of my expenses have been accounted for and are being managed through federal loans and various scholarships. There are still a number of expenses associated with picking up my life here in Los Angeles and moving the whole thing across the pond (to one of the most expensive cities in the world) that remain.
I have set my goal at $4250 and with your help, I know that we can achieve this goal in no time at all.
Housing: $2500 - first and last month's rent for a 2-bedroom apartment (based on current average rental costs in London)
Visa application and settlement fees: $725
Food/Airfare/Public Transportation: $760 - first month only
GoFundMe Donation: $265 - to keep this service up and running!
That's it in a nutshell!
Every Dollar Counts
Any amount that you can contribute today will be instrumental in making this dream a reality. Even if you only have $1 to give, $5 to give, $10, you will be assisting me during this difficult period of transition as I get myself settled in a new land and prepared to take on this massive quest. I hope you will come on this journey with me and as always, to those of you that have been by my side and have offered your support every step of the way, my friends and family, to you I say THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU a million times over!!!
Thank you,
Riley Neldam
LAMDA
MFA Acting 2019-2021
Your old friend Riley Neldam here. The time has come for me to embark on my 2 year journey to London, England in pursuit of my Master of Fine Arts degree from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
My Story
Last December I made the choice to put myself out there for a couple of graduate programs for acting and had set my sights set exclusively on the UK. The MFA acting program at LAMDA was always my first choice and as luck would have it, it was also the first school I would be auditioning for.
The day of the audition was something of a blur: Up at 6AM, audition at the UCLA campus at 9AM, and then back on the road to start a 2-show day at South Coast Repertory Theatre in Costa Mesa, California (we had just had our opening night performance the night before). It was exactly 1 week later, literally during the act of pulling on my pants to make it to that week's matinee, that I got the call from the school, offering me a place in the upcoming MFA program.
LAMDA is one hell of a school...many of the most respected actors of this generation and of generations prior have trained there: John Lithgow, David Oyelowo, Benedict Cumberbatch, Brian Cox, Malcolm McDowell, David Suchet and Chiwetel Ejiofor, just to name a few. I am incredibly humbled to be able to train at this institution and I know that committing myself to this program is one of the most significant choices I have ever made in my life.
I have been working as a professional actor for 9 years and have been a card-carrying SAG-AFTRA and AEA union member for 7 and have reached the conclusion that I am a lifer in this pursuit. After nearly a decade of journeyman work as an artist, I am readier than ever to commit myself to a lifetime of meaningful contribution to the global artistic landscape (USA, UK and BEYOND!)
I am ready to take this challenge on headfirst BUT I NEED YOUR HELP!
Bags Are Packed...
I have less than two months before the start of my MFA program (September 23rd, 2019) and LESS THAN ONE MONTH before I touch down in London, England, to get settled. At this moment, the majority of my expenses have been accounted for and are being managed through federal loans and various scholarships. There are still a number of expenses associated with picking up my life here in Los Angeles and moving the whole thing across the pond (to one of the most expensive cities in the world) that remain.
I have set my goal at $4250 and with your help, I know that we can achieve this goal in no time at all.
Housing: $2500 - first and last month's rent for a 2-bedroom apartment (based on current average rental costs in London)
Visa application and settlement fees: $725
Food/Airfare/Public Transportation: $760 - first month only
GoFundMe Donation: $265 - to keep this service up and running!
That's it in a nutshell!
Every Dollar Counts
Any amount that you can contribute today will be instrumental in making this dream a reality. Even if you only have $1 to give, $5 to give, $10, you will be assisting me during this difficult period of transition as I get myself settled in a new land and prepared to take on this massive quest. I hope you will come on this journey with me and as always, to those of you that have been by my side and have offered your support every step of the way, my friends and family, to you I say THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU a million times over!!!
Thank you,
Riley Neldam
LAMDA
MFA Acting 2019-2021
Organizer
Riley Neldam
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA