Benedict Cumberbatch Appointed President Of LAMDA

LAMDA (London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art) announces that Benedict Cumberbatch CBE has been appointed as the Academy's new President. He will take up the position immediately, succeeding Timothy West CBE who steps down after 31 years in the role.

In 2013 Benedict launched LAMDA's fundraising campaign for its new building which opened in spring 2017. LAMDA's new home on Talgarth Road, with its ten rehearsal/training studios, three public performance spaces (The Sainsbury Theatre, The Carne Studio Theatre and the LAMDA Linbury Studio) and screen and audio suite, unites all of LAMDA's world-leading training facilities and its renowned LAMDA Examinations on one campus in Barons Court, west London.

Benedict graduated from LAMDA in 2000 with an MA in Classical Acting and has since gone on to an award-winning career as an actor on stage and screen. His credits span theatre, TV and film - including his award-winning and internationally recognised role as the iconic detective in television series Sherlock, and several Hollywood blockbusters including The Imitation Game, Star Trek Into Darkness, August. Osage County, Twelve Years A Slave, The Fifth Estate and the titular role in Marvel's Dr Strange series. Forthcoming projects include a new TV series Patrick Melrose based on the bestselling series of books by Edward St. Aubyn, which will be broadcast on Sky Atlantic later this year.

LAMDA Principal, Joanna Read said as she announced his appointment 'I am truly delighted that Benedict has agreed to join the LAMDA family as President. As a fantastic actor who understands his craft and our industry, I know his insights will be terrifically beneficial to students and staff. I am excited to have his support in opening up access to our world-leading conservatoire training and for LAMDA's unique approach in nurturing, training and inspiring the talent of the future.'

Benedict Cumberbatch said of his appointment 'Having trained at LAMDA, I am thrilled to have been appointed as its new President and would like to thank my predecessor, the great Timothy West for his remarkable and steadfast tenure. It will be an honour to watch the next generation of actors, directors and technicians blossom and grow into outstanding creative artists and theatre professionals through the exceptional training provided by LAMDA. I am also looking forward to working alongside Joanna and the staff, and Shaun and the Board of Trustees to continue to ensure this training remains accessible to everyone and that my profession and industry is diverse and reflective of the world we live in.'

Timothy West, outgoing President of LAMDA said 'I joined LAMDA as a Trustee in 1980 and have watched its monumental growth over those 37 important years; and I now feel that, while links with the past are in some ways beneficial, links with the future are what really counts. LAMDA's President now should, I feel, be a visible and potent power in our profession, and when I heard that Benedict Cumberbatch had accepted our invitation to take over the Presidency, I was overjoyed. I wish for him the same pleasure, pride, fellowship and enjoyment that has always been mine as LAMDA's President.'

Speaking about the new appointment, the Chairman of LAMDA, Shaun Woodward said 'We are all thrilled that Benedict will become the new President of LAMDA. It's hugely exciting and we are all looking forward to working with Benedict in the months ahead on many projects with our students. Tim West has been an amazing President for LAMDA and has created a great legacy. We understand why Tim feels now is the right time to pass the baton, but he will be keenly missed by everyone.'

Founded in 1861, LAMDA is a world-leading conservatoire offering exceptional vocational training to actors, stage managers, technicians and directors. In addition to six validated degree programmes, LAMDA offers a Foundation Diploma and a number of validated semester and short courses.

The work of the Drama School is complemented by that of Examinations, through which LAMDA offers a drama and communications-based syllabus leading to accredited and non-accredited awards in the UK and overseas. In 2017 over 105,000 young people in more than 30 countries took a LAMDA Examination.

The President and Vice-Presidents of LAMDA are invited to attend Board of Trustee meetings in an advisory, non-voting capacity.

Benedict Cumberbatch graduated from LAMDA in 2000 with an MA in Classical Acting and has since gone on to an award-winning career as an actor on stage and screen. His credits span theatre, TV and film - including his award-winning and internationally recognised role as the iconic detective in television series Sherlock, and several Hollywood blockbusters including The Imitation Game, Star Trek Into Darkness, August. Osage County, Twelve Years A Slave, The Fifth Estate and the titular role in Marvel's Dr Strange series.

He has enjoyed numerous awards and nominations, most notably winning an Olivier Award for Best Actor in Danny Boyle's National Theatre production of Frankenstein and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor for Sherlock. His portrayal of Alan Turing in The Imitation Game earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. He has received six BAFTA nominations, five Screen Actors Guild Award nominations and two Golden Globe nominations among others. Benedict was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in June 2015 for his services to arts and to charity.

Forthcoming projects include a new TV series Patrick Melrose based on the bestselling series of books by Edward St. Aubyn, which will be broadcast on Sky Atlantic later this year.

LAMDA graduates grace the stages of the RSC, Shakespeare's Globe, the National Theatre, the West End and Broadway, and shine in film, television and radio - taking lead acting, directing and backstage roles for the BBC, HBO, Netflix and in Hollywood.

Recent LAMDA graduate award winners and nominees include: John Lithgow - 2017 Emmy and Screen Actors Guild awards and Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations (The Crown); Benedict Cumberbatch CBE - 2017 Emmy and BAFTA nominations (Sherlock), 2016 Olivier Award nominee (Hamlet), 2015 Golden Globe, BAFTA and Academy Award nominations (The Imitation Game); Ruth Wilson - 2017 Olivier Award nominee (Hedda Gabler), 2015 Golden Globe Award winner for Best Actress in a TV Drama (The Affair) and two-time Olivier Award winner (A Streetcar Named Desire and Anna Christie; David Moorst - 2015 Evening Standard Award for Emerging Talent and Jack Tinker Award for Most Promising Newcomer at the Critics Circle Awards (Violence and Son, Royal Court); David Oyelowo OBE - 2015 Best Actor Golden Globe nominee (Selma); Chiwetel Ejiofor CBE - 2014 Best Actor Oscar nominee (12 Years a Slave); Nathaniel Parker - 2015 Best Supporting Actor Olivier Award winner (Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies); Mischief Theatre Company - 2015 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy winners (The Play That Goes Wrong); Rory Kinnear - Best Actor Olivier Awards in 2014 (Othello) and 2008 (The Man of Mode); and Jim Broadbent - 2001 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (Iris).

By the end of the 2016/17 academic year, 100% of students graduating from the BA Hons Professional Acting and eligible to work in the UK had gained representation from agents. Many students gained work during their final term or just after graduating, including Archie Madekwe in The Goat or Who is Sylvia (Theatre Royal Haymarket) and Grace Molony in The Country Girls (Chichester Festival Theatre) for which she was named Best Actress in a Play at The Stage Debut Awards. In 2016, LAMDA's production and technical arts graduates enjoyed a 100% employment rate after graduation.

The early days in the industry can be daunting for emerging artists. LAMDA works to ease this transition by equipping students with the skills and knowledge they need to develop successful, sustainable careers. September 2017 marked the launch of the Genesis LAMDA Network - a new platform providing peer-to-peer mentoring for graduating actors, stage managers and technicians.

Created in partnership with John Studzinski CBE and the Genesis Foundation, the network pairs final year students with carefully selected graduate mentors who offer not only a dedicated professional connection, but also practical experience, industry exposure and contacts to support future employment.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride

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