RADA Foundation
Donation protected
My name is Harrriet Beynon, I am twenty years old and I am one of the 32 people fortunate enough to have been offered a place on the Acting Foundation at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), out of the 6,000 people that auditioned. RADA is Britain’s most prestigious drama school with notable alumni including the late Alan Rickman, Kenneth Branagh, Joan Collins and Vivien Leigh. Hence, you could imagine my utter delight and shock at being offered a place.
However, the course is an eye watering £12,000, which is a huge strain and impossibility for many working class families. My parents have worked all their lives to support me and my brother and I am privileged to have such supportive and loving parents. Unfortunately, you do not receive a loan from the government for the cost of this course or the accommodation, which is particularly significant with the rising living costs in London. Despite my parents’ hard work and the savings from my weekend retail work, I cannot currently afford the cost of this course. Obviously this is a once in a life time opportunity that I want to have a firm grip on, but sometimes the finance does not always allow for this. Nevertheless, I am determined to make this dream a reality and prove to myself that I derserve to be part of this industry.
Theatre, film and television are changing with icons such as Judi Dench and Helen Mirren pushing for accessibility for working class people, wanting to go to drama school. Hundreds of young people miss out on the opportunity to attend their dream schools every year, due to the costs. This leads to a misrepresentation of society on stage, as working class people are prevented from training. As dramatic as it sounds, your contributions would not just contribute to my own future, but the future of the industry as it appeals to a wider audience.
What better reason to give the girl that set off the fire alarm in her Recall, a chance to achieve something she could only have dream of?
Furthermore, I am eternally in debt to every school, teacher, peer, friend, family member, colleague and director that has challenged and enchanced my confidence as an actress. Life is too short to stick to your comfort zone, it is time for me to take a risk and I am beyond grateful to anyone that can enable me to do that.
I completely understand that many of you will be students, but any contribution at all would be truly wonderful. Why can’t the next Ben Wishaw be a lanky, white girl from Cambridge?
However, the course is an eye watering £12,000, which is a huge strain and impossibility for many working class families. My parents have worked all their lives to support me and my brother and I am privileged to have such supportive and loving parents. Unfortunately, you do not receive a loan from the government for the cost of this course or the accommodation, which is particularly significant with the rising living costs in London. Despite my parents’ hard work and the savings from my weekend retail work, I cannot currently afford the cost of this course. Obviously this is a once in a life time opportunity that I want to have a firm grip on, but sometimes the finance does not always allow for this. Nevertheless, I am determined to make this dream a reality and prove to myself that I derserve to be part of this industry.
Theatre, film and television are changing with icons such as Judi Dench and Helen Mirren pushing for accessibility for working class people, wanting to go to drama school. Hundreds of young people miss out on the opportunity to attend their dream schools every year, due to the costs. This leads to a misrepresentation of society on stage, as working class people are prevented from training. As dramatic as it sounds, your contributions would not just contribute to my own future, but the future of the industry as it appeals to a wider audience.
What better reason to give the girl that set off the fire alarm in her Recall, a chance to achieve something she could only have dream of?
Furthermore, I am eternally in debt to every school, teacher, peer, friend, family member, colleague and director that has challenged and enchanced my confidence as an actress. Life is too short to stick to your comfort zone, it is time for me to take a risk and I am beyond grateful to anyone that can enable me to do that.
I completely understand that many of you will be students, but any contribution at all would be truly wonderful. Why can’t the next Ben Wishaw be a lanky, white girl from Cambridge?
Organiser
Harriet Beynon
Organiser
