Orla O’Connor Casting and Strange Town are launching the Brendan O’Connor bursary to assist young actors. Read all about it here:
THE BRENDAN O’CONNOR BURSARY
Media Release | Friday 14th February 2020
Orla O’Connor Casting and Strange Town Theatre Company are delighted to announce the launch of The Brendan O’Connor Bursary for emerging young actors in need of financial assistance.
Brendan O’Connor was an exceptional man. Dedicated to the advancement of all and it is fitting that he can continue in that great work with a bursary for young actors.
Strange Town Theatre Company in Edinburgh, will manage this fund. Hand in hand with Orla O’Connor Casting, they will select young people of promise who hope to apply to drama school for training. These costs can be prohibitive with both application fees and travel costs involved in attending auditions. Many young people are not in a position to consider this as a career as the first step takes such initial investment. The hope is that this bursary will make a difference to young people who may ordinarily not get the chance.
It should not only be the economically privileged that graduate from drama school. The sole focus must become talent. It should be the only ticket of admission. No more than now, have we needed a push towards this kind of accessibility. With The Brendan O’Connor Bursary, we make a small attempt to level that playing field of access.
Orla O’Connor
Applying to drama school can be very expensive and this bursary will give young people a chance to overcome that first hurdle and open up the opportunity for them to receive training, that they otherwise may not have access to.
Ruth Hollyman, Strange Town
This incredibly generous bursary is going to make such a difference for Strange Town’s young people: supporting those who would struggle to pay the fees in accessing incredible life-changing opportunities.
Tallulah Greive, Strange Town’s patron
Strange Town is a theatre company and young actors’ agency that offers opportunities to young performers aged 5 to 25. Over the last 11 years, Strange Town has staged 139 productions, commissioned over 100 original scripts and performed in a variety of spaces including theatres, football stadiums, schools and prisons. Its young actors’ agency represents emerging talent, who regularly participate in the company’s performance projects to enhance and develop their skills. Since the agency’s launch in 2011, young actors have been cast in TV series, feature films, shorts, commercials and professional stage productions, including lead and featured roles in Our Ladies, Boyz In The Wood, Outlaw King, Deadwater Fell, River City, T2: Trainspotting and Outlander.
Orla O’Connor is a Casting Director from Derry, now based in Leith, Edinburgh working in TV, film and theatre, including: Deadwater Fell (C4), Shetland Series 2-6 (BBC), Chasing Bono (Soho Theatre) Molly and Mack (CBeebies), The Loch (ITV), IONA (Bard Entertainments), Pan (Warner Bros), EVE Series I, II & III (CBBC), Katie Morag Series 1&2 (CBeebies), Bob Servant Series 1&2 (BBC 4) and many more…
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Further Information
Please contact ruth@strangetown.org.uk 0131-629-0292
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