Bea's tuition fees for RADA
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Hello lovely, kind, wonderful people!
My name is Bea Svistunenko and I have just graduated from the University of Cambridge with a degree in Education with English and Drama. I am also an actor and at the end of May I was unbelievably lucky to have been offered a place at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London to study on their highly competitive three year BA in Acting.
This means a terrific deal to me, as theatre has completely taken over my life since I was twelve, often even hijacking my school, college and degree work. I've been lucky enough to have worked with and learnt from some incredible people, including actors, directors and teachers from various companies and organisations, such as the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain, the Marlowe Society, CUADC and the Young Actors Company. My offer of study also means a lot because RADA is an institution that I have loved and respected for many years, as I have attended and been spellbound by its graduate productions, and have likewise been inspired by the work of its alumni. RADA has produced incredible creatives over the last century, (some of whom I have listed at the bottom of this post) and is one of the oldest and most recognised drama schools in the UK.
In fact, here's an extremely mortifying photo that was taken of me four years ago in 2012, pressing myself longingly against the school's wall when I happened to be passing in Bloomsbury. As embarrassing as this photo is, I hope it demonstrates that attending the school has really, truly been a dream of mine long before I understood that posing for such pictures is ridiculous... It means a huge amount to me to have the opportunity to get proper, professional training before setting foot in what is an exciting, terrifying, unpredictable and thrilling industry.
However, because I already have a degree now, I am unable to apply for a student loan from SFE for a second time. The Acting BA costs £9000 per annum (having been raised from £3000/year along with UK university fees following the The Browne Review in 2010) which comes to a whopping total of £27K in tuition fees. Plus I would need to scrape together money for insanely high London rent, (over £7K per year) and equipment costs.
It is, of course, a colossal amount to attempt to raise. I am currently also in the process of writing to trusts and foundations, applying for grants and scholarships and searching for tutoring work and part-time jobs to stay afloat in London. Regrettably, chances are all of these still won't be enough to cover the tuition and living expenses, and could mean not being able to afford to do the course. Which would break my heart.
This is why I would also like to turn to you, my friends, (and strangers!) to ask for your help.
Here is a breakdown of what various sized donations could potentially help me out with:
£12 would pay for a bone prop, used for articulation drills and vocal exercises
£15 would cover a year’s worth of photo-copying costs
£20 would buy a locker key/security/ID card
£25 would cover the compulsory fee for a stage and screen combat test certificate
£60 would pay for textbooks and playscripts
£102 would buy a monthly student travel card for zones 1-3
£150 would cover a week’s worth of rent
£600 would afford me a month’s worth of rent
£1,035 would purchase a year’s worth of RADA lunch vouchers
£1,064 would buy an annual student travel card for zones 1-3
£7,200 would cover accommodation costs for a whole year
Anything that you would be willing to give, however small, will be so gratefully appreciated and helpful in lightening the fundraising load, and your support would mean the world to me. I will have to start paying rent and tuition fees in termly instalments from September 2016, so I am hoping to have raised at least the first £3K by that point, both on here and through trusts and foundations etc.
Thank you for getting this far and taking the time to read. I am eternally thankful for all the help and support I receive.
All my love and gratitude,
Bea.
Warming up for Richard II in Emmanuel College chapel
PS: An alphabetical tip of the iceberg; here's a taster of just some of the remarkable actors and directors that RADA has produced over the years:
Gemma Arterton
Richard Attenborough
Sean Bean
Eve Best
Kenneth Branagh
Jessie Buckley
Ralph Fiennes
John Gielgud
Brendan Gleeson
Sally Hawkins
Tom Hiddleston
Ciarán Hinds
Anthony Hopkins
Jane Horrocks
John Hurt
Glenda Jackson
Alex Kingston
Mike Leigh
Adrian Lester
Matthew Macfadyen
Janet McTeer
Tobias Menzies
Rufus Norris
James Norton
Sophie Okonedo
Peter O'Toole
Maxine Peake
Jonathan Pryce
Jessica Raine
Paul Rhys
Alan Rickman
Andrea Riseborough
Mark Rylance
Michael Sheen
Timothy Spall
Imelda Staunton
Juliet Stevenson
Jason Watkins
Ben Whishaw
(source: Wikipedia)
My name is Bea Svistunenko and I have just graduated from the University of Cambridge with a degree in Education with English and Drama. I am also an actor and at the end of May I was unbelievably lucky to have been offered a place at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London to study on their highly competitive three year BA in Acting.
This means a terrific deal to me, as theatre has completely taken over my life since I was twelve, often even hijacking my school, college and degree work. I've been lucky enough to have worked with and learnt from some incredible people, including actors, directors and teachers from various companies and organisations, such as the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain, the Marlowe Society, CUADC and the Young Actors Company. My offer of study also means a lot because RADA is an institution that I have loved and respected for many years, as I have attended and been spellbound by its graduate productions, and have likewise been inspired by the work of its alumni. RADA has produced incredible creatives over the last century, (some of whom I have listed at the bottom of this post) and is one of the oldest and most recognised drama schools in the UK.
In fact, here's an extremely mortifying photo that was taken of me four years ago in 2012, pressing myself longingly against the school's wall when I happened to be passing in Bloomsbury. As embarrassing as this photo is, I hope it demonstrates that attending the school has really, truly been a dream of mine long before I understood that posing for such pictures is ridiculous... It means a huge amount to me to have the opportunity to get proper, professional training before setting foot in what is an exciting, terrifying, unpredictable and thrilling industry.
However, because I already have a degree now, I am unable to apply for a student loan from SFE for a second time. The Acting BA costs £9000 per annum (having been raised from £3000/year along with UK university fees following the The Browne Review in 2010) which comes to a whopping total of £27K in tuition fees. Plus I would need to scrape together money for insanely high London rent, (over £7K per year) and equipment costs.
It is, of course, a colossal amount to attempt to raise. I am currently also in the process of writing to trusts and foundations, applying for grants and scholarships and searching for tutoring work and part-time jobs to stay afloat in London. Regrettably, chances are all of these still won't be enough to cover the tuition and living expenses, and could mean not being able to afford to do the course. Which would break my heart.
This is why I would also like to turn to you, my friends, (and strangers!) to ask for your help.
Here is a breakdown of what various sized donations could potentially help me out with:
£12 would pay for a bone prop, used for articulation drills and vocal exercises
£15 would cover a year’s worth of photo-copying costs
£20 would buy a locker key/security/ID card
£25 would cover the compulsory fee for a stage and screen combat test certificate
£60 would pay for textbooks and playscripts
£102 would buy a monthly student travel card for zones 1-3
£150 would cover a week’s worth of rent
£600 would afford me a month’s worth of rent
£1,035 would purchase a year’s worth of RADA lunch vouchers
£1,064 would buy an annual student travel card for zones 1-3
£7,200 would cover accommodation costs for a whole year
Anything that you would be willing to give, however small, will be so gratefully appreciated and helpful in lightening the fundraising load, and your support would mean the world to me. I will have to start paying rent and tuition fees in termly instalments from September 2016, so I am hoping to have raised at least the first £3K by that point, both on here and through trusts and foundations etc.
Thank you for getting this far and taking the time to read. I am eternally thankful for all the help and support I receive.
All my love and gratitude,
Bea.
Warming up for Richard II in Emmanuel College chapelPS: An alphabetical tip of the iceberg; here's a taster of just some of the remarkable actors and directors that RADA has produced over the years:
Gemma Arterton
Richard Attenborough
Sean Bean
Eve Best
Kenneth Branagh
Jessie Buckley
Ralph Fiennes
John Gielgud
Brendan Gleeson
Sally Hawkins
Tom Hiddleston
Ciarán Hinds
Anthony Hopkins
Jane Horrocks
John Hurt
Glenda Jackson
Alex Kingston
Mike Leigh
Adrian Lester
Matthew Macfadyen
Janet McTeer
Tobias Menzies
Rufus Norris
James Norton
Sophie Okonedo
Peter O'Toole
Maxine Peake
Jonathan Pryce
Jessica Raine
Paul Rhys
Alan Rickman
Andrea Riseborough
Mark Rylance
Michael Sheen
Timothy Spall
Imelda Staunton
Juliet Stevenson
Jason Watkins
Ben Whishaw
(source: Wikipedia)
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Bea Svistunenko
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