LES ENFANTS TERRIBLES Announce the LET Bursary in Association With RADA

Today, Les Enfants Terribles and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) have launched a crowdfunding campaign for the first ever LET Bursary. RADA graduate Katherine Kelly (Coronation Street, Happy Valley, City of Angels) is the official patron of the award.

Created to help one individual without the financial means to attend drama school, the winning recipient will receive the bursary towards their tuition fees and living costs for the full-time professional acting course for one academic year.

For further information and to donate please visit: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/LETbursary.

Katherine Kelly, patron of LET Bursary said: "Without RADA I simply wouldn't be where I am today. The training which they provided me with gave me to tools to tackle any role in any script in any production anywhere in the world. There is no way that I would have had the exciting, varied and fulfilling career I've had so far but I know that I have been incredibly lucky.

When young actors ask me how they can break into the industry, I always recommend drama school. However so many talented young people, understandably and heartbreakingly, dismiss this as a possibility because drama school seems totally unaffordable.

Talent is not, and should never be, related to how much money you have. The LET Bursary, which I am thrilled to be a patron of, aims to remove some of those financial barriers which may discourage young actors from reaching their full potential.

RADA's alumni include some the best actors of film, stage and screen and with your donation, you will be allowing a young actor to have the best possible start to their career."

Oliver Lansley, Artistic Director of Les Enfants Terribles, said: With the gulf between richer and poorer growing ever wider in our society and the cost of drama schools having risen to over £9000 a year it is becoming increasingly hard for young people of less affluent backgrounds to be able to pursue their dreams of working in the arts.

I set up Les Enfants Terribles when I was 19 years old. My parents were not in involved in the arts, my father was a builder and my mother worked for the NHS, and there was no way they could have afforded £30,000 for me to train as an actor. 15 years later I see now how difficult it would have been for someone like me to get a foothold in this industry. I've been incredibly lucky. That's why I feel it is essential for people in my position to help redress the balance and help support the next generation of artists."

Edward Kemp, Director of RADA, said: "At a time when the higher education funding model puts financial pressure on many students, it's vital that there is support available to enable talented young performers to pursue their careers through high quality training. I'm delighted that we're adding to our scholarship provision by partnering with Les Enfants Terribles to offer the new LET Bursary. Founded by actors, RADA has always enjoyed exceptionally close ties with the profession and it's particularly gratifying that a theatre company should want to support our students in this way.

Having a diverse company of actors training at RADA only enriches our learning experiences and creative output, and we hope that the new bursary will open up a pathway into the industry for a talented performer who might otherwise not have the opportunity."

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