Hello everyone! My name is Angus. If you didn't know by now I am moving to London in September to study a Bachelors in Acting at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. Which happens to be the school Judi Dench is president of!

I am looking to raise funds to help pay the tuition, since the money I've been saving will just about cover my moving and living costs in London. Mountview are offering a scholarship to help cover some of their fees (which are already higher than a normal English university), however it was based on the assumption that I would receive a tuition loan from student finance, which I cannot get this year due to having started another university course previously. Hopefully they will reconsider and increase the amount offered but in the meantime I am setting up this GoFundMe to start the ball rolling on funding the remaining £6,185.

I've spent over 12 years in youth theatre and amateur productions, including Junior Conservatoire at the RCS in Glasgow, I loved every second of it so obviously I decided to attend university to study engineering. Of course that didn't last long and I dropped out in 2023. From that moment on I made the decision to audition for drama schools, mostly focussed on getting into the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland since that was local and wouldn't require much change or cost. However after two unsuccessful attempts, both times making it to the final round, I decided to audition for a third time, but also take a risk and try my chances at a few London Drama Schools, including my dream choice of Mountview. Long story short when I came down to London for the final round of auditions for Mountview, I fell in love with the place. Every single staff member I interacted with seemed to be proud to work there, the location was great, and so many students were welcoming and eager. This would be such a great place for me to study, despite the natural fear of being too far from home.

In the rise of digital media and streaming culture, there is an incentive to churn out cheap content with no real consistency and humanity behind it. We're already seeing this with the rise of AI generated media stripping away the human element of arts and culture. Therefore theatre is incredibly valuable and something that should be encouraged and supported. Theatre is impulsive, risky and what you see is what you get and the audience get to have a collective experience that cannot be artificially replicated. The adrenaline rush from being on stage is something that cannot be replicated too.

Acting and the theatre arts is something I've always wanted to pursue. I am taking a leap and I know it is going to pay off. Just a few more hurdles to overcome, but I have worked hard and come this far so the rest (with your help!) will be a piece of cake. Any amount you can give will make this a reality.