Posted on 2 July 2012
Following competitive auditions, 8 talented young students have received funding through the Ian Fleming Musical Theatre awards.
The awards provide financial support for postgraduate and final year undergraduate students on musical theatre courses, and range from £1,500 to £4,000. This year a total of £19,500 was awarded.
Students auditioned in front of an expert panel, chaired by Graham Bickley. Graham (pictured right performing in 'High Society' at the Shaftesbury Theatre, London) has performed in the West End for the last twenty five years and has received many nominations for ‘Best Actor’ throughout his career. Graham said, “The combination of the philanthropy of Ian Fleming and a day listening to some of the most talented young performers as they bid for funding to help complete their studies is, in equal measure, inspiring, humbling, joyous, an enormous responsibility, and in this age of cutbacks, sadly entirely necessary. Our delight at being in a position to help many of those who stand before us is only tempered by the knowledge that we are unable to help more.”
Joining Graham on the panel were Rosemary Ashe who played Carlotta in the original London production of ‘The Phantom of the Opera’; Tony Castro, successful conductor, vocal coach and musical director; and Ian McMillan, Artistic Director of the London Pops Orchestra.
This year’s Ian Fleming Musical Theatre Award recipients are:
Beth Peach-Robinson (Royal Academy of Music)
Laura Darton and Cameron Sharp (Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts)
Rosie Fletcher (Arts Educational School London)
Georgia Permutt and Lee Van Geleen (London School of Musical Theatre)
Xochiquestzal Cooke (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland)
Leah Collett (Swansea Metropolitan University)
I’m sure you will hearing more from them in the future.