The Lyric Hammersmith and ArtsEd Announce New Bursary

The Lyric Hammersmith and one of the UK's leading performing arts schools, ArtsEd, are proud to announce the launch of a new bursary scheme on the Foundation Acting course at ArtsEd. This bursary, funded by ArtsEd, will allow one Young Lyric member to complete the 10-month Foundation course starting in September 2018.

The Foundation course develops participants' skills in preparation for degree level training. An exciting and innovative industry connection, unique to ArtsEd and the Lyric, is that half the classes are delivered at ArtsEd and half take place at The Lyric Hammersmith.

The bursary has been one of the outcomes of three years of working in partnership with ArtsEd who run both their Foundation Acting and Musical Theatre courses from the Lyric building. The students are an integral part of the Lyric building; they are enrolled as Young Lyric members, and participate in workshops and performing arts projects within the Lyric's facilities. Several of the students also gain employment experience from working in the building as ushers. The bursary student will continue to be supported by the Lyric as well as their course tutors at ArtsEd.

The Lyric is pleased to be able to offer this opportunity as part of its ongoing commitment to giving young people from all backgrounds, at every level of experience and training, access to the arts. The Lyric's programmes - which include Young Lyric classes and activities for ages 0 - 25 years; the START programme for 16 - 21 year olds who are NEET; the Lyric Ensemble company of young actors; and many other projects and activities - have a proven record of supporting young people from a wide range of backgrounds offering different pathways into the theatre industry. The ArtsEd bursary scheme will enable the Lyric to build on this work and help contribute to greater diversity amongst the UK's drama schools.

The young person selected for this bursary has completed several projects at the Lyric including the flagship START programme for marginalised 16-21 year olds not in education, employment or training (NEET).

Sean Holmes, Artistic Director of Lyric Hammersmith said, 'We are delighted that through this bursary, the Lyric and ArtsEd have ensured a life-changing opportunity for a highly talented young person. An opportunity that might not have been obtainable without this significant investment.'

Chris Hocking, Principal of ArtsEd said: 'We are thrilled to strengthen our ongoing partnership with the Lyric Hammersmith by offering a full scholarship to a Young Lyric member for our outstanding Foundation Acting Programme. They will not only benefit from ArtsEd's outstanding tutors using the fantastic Lyric facilities but also will be part of the supportive and inclusive ArtsEd student body. We hope that this is just the beginning of a fruitful partnership - a collaborative approach to widening participation to the performing arts scene in west London.'