Help Us Pursue Our Theatre Dreams in London

The theatre is our home, and we'd love it to be our life's work! Both Adam and I earned our bachelor's degrees in theatre — Adam from NYU and me from CUNY Lehman College.

After undergrad, our shared love for musical theatre brought us together through the Braata Singers, a Caribbean chorale based in New York City. We've been a dynamic adventure duo ever since!

We both felt the need to seek out new opportunities that value diversity, authenticity, and the unique voices we bring to the stage. After careful research, we auditioned for and were both accepted into the graduate musical theatre program at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA)—Adam for a one-year MA and me, for a one-and-a-half-year MFA with teaching and directing certification. Europe tends to offer a more welcoming environment for developing artists and a chance to expand our horizons both personally and professionally.

Finding financial support for our studies has been difficult, which is expected for a master's program. We've searched extensively for scholarships but to no avail. We've taken loans to satisfy our tuition. However, we're raising funds to support our other attendance costs such as visas, travel, accommodations, school supplies, and the high cost of living in London for the duration of our programs. Culturally, living in New York, we are used to maintaining many hustles to get by. However, opportunities like this do not come around often, and we want to ensure we can focus fully on our demanding classes and maintain our well-being while abroad.

This opportunity means the world to us. Adam always says that he was told by a voice teacher that basses don't get cast in lead roles until they're much older. He hopes to use his training to change that dynamic and make space for new roles for young basses of color, like himself, as they progress throughout their careers. After I satisfy my performance goals, I dream of returning home to design an arts department at my old college in the Commonwealth of Dominica, as there is currently none. My teaching and directing certification from LAMDA will go a long way in making that dream a reality.

Your support will help us overcome these financial hurdles and take the next step in our artistic journeys. Thank you for believing in our dreams and helping us make a lasting impact in the world of theatre.