Ayomide
Adegun is awarded The Luke Westlake
Scholarship 2020
22
year old South Londoner Ayomide Adegun is currently in his 2nd year
of the BA Acting course at Royal Welsh Academy of Music & Drama. His
professional credits include The Jumper
Factory by Luke Barnes at the Young Vic.
In his application Ayomide said “Acting
changed my life, and put me on the straight and narrow, coming from a working
class background has benefited me in a sense that it enabled me to have a range
of experiences to draw from. I decided to pursue drama school when I was 19
because I wanted to enhance my quality and improve my range and cast-ability,
as I was always going up for the typical, rough, offender type character but I
see myself as much more than that… The scholarship would mean so much to me because It
would mean I could receive advice from industry professionals who are able to
guide me and give me an inside view of what the industry is like and what it
demands from a modern-day actor… It would also put financial worries behind me
to give me the best chance of developing into the best version of myself after
graduating.”
Across the board, he received the most votes, with all but one judge
selecting him as their first or second pick, which is quite outstanding.
The shortlist material provided by Faye Timby was delivered very well by Ayo
and he took some brilliant choices in his self-tapes. We feel that as well as
being a talented actor, he will benefit strongly from the scholarship, as
someone who identifies as coming from a working-class background and someone
who will squeeze every little bit out of the scholarship.
Co-founder Liam McLauchlin said, “This year we received 187
applications from 27 different institutions and schools across England, Wales
and Scotland. This was a significant increase on last year, over triple the
amount of applicants and 15 new institutions and schools. Despite our fears that
this year’s scholarship would be hampered by the pandemic, the shortlist was an
extremely difficult decision to make - so much so, we ended up adding 2 extra
actors because they were so good. This year’s scholarship incredibly important,
as the pandemic has ruptured the heart of the theatre and performance industry
- meaning the majority of actors at some point this year have lost work. We
hope the scholarship highlights how much care we must take to support graduates
and actors, and hope we can continue to improve and expand the award for more
actors in 2021 and beyond.”
The Luke Westlake Scholarship, formerly known as the JAM
Scholarship, is an award designed to provide an actor with artistic and
financial support worth over £3,000 in their final year and as they graduate
from university or drama school, and begin to navigate their way into the
industry. The scholarship was established when the team behind JAM realised
many actors were being priced out of their career once they left training. After spending upwards of £30k to
learn their craft, actors need to purchase union membership, database
subscriptions, materials for marketing themselves, and more; they often work
zero hours jobs so they can duck out at short notice to attend auditions and
can lack the contacts to get their foot in the door. The acting industry
frequently notes the lack of working class talent, but without support it is
near impossible to get started. By reaching out to contacts and industry
organisations JAM is delighted to build on last year’s inaugural scholarship
with yet more partners and prizes, to alleviate the financial and artistic
burden and set another graduate up
on a stronger footing for their first year in the industry.
Last
year’s winner Madison Stock shared what being the recipient of the scholarship
has meant to her “I come from a very working class background, and where
I’m from not many people are given many good opportunities so getting into ALRA
on a full DADA was a dream because without it I wouldn’t be financially stable
enough to be there. I was so chuffed when I won the JAM scholarship set up by
Liam, Kristian and Kyle. It was the confidence boost I needed in order for me
to grab the bull by the horns and say “I’m ready for this industry.” I am so
very grateful for the things I’ve received through the scholarship like my
headshots, showreel scene, Filmclub membership. And I cannot wait to watch this
scholarship grow and grow and help many more young working class actors. I am
so grateful for the boys at JAM and I can’t wait to be on this journey with
them by my side.”
The panel included Actor Remmie Milner, Casting Director
Faye Timby, Industry Minds, Voiceover Coach Guy Michaels and JAM.
The full list of prizes are: 1yr Spotlight membership, 1yr
subscription to The Stage, 2 industry advice sessions with Spotlight’s Emma
Dyson (Performer Careers Consultant), Full headshot session + edits with Samuel
Black Photography, Full showreel package with self-tape.co.uk, First year tax
return with Tax for Actors, Full voice reel, 1yr full membership of Voiceover
Kickstart's training and community with Guy Michaels at voice-reel.com, £100.00
voucher at Nick Hern Books, Industry advice meeting with an Agent from Olivia
Bell Management, Industry advice meetings with: Casting Associate Faye Timby
(The Witcher, Netflix) and Casting Assistants Naomi Downham (National Theatre)
and Martin Poile (RSC), 6 JAM Casting Workshops, £500.00 towards accommodation
rent (after graduating), 1yr subscription to Spikizi Accent and Dialect App.
All shortlisted performers will
also receive: 1-to-1 with Casting Director Emma Sylvester (Doctors, BBC), Group
session with 2 agents from 42 Management, Group feedback session with Casting
Associate Faye Timby (The Witcher, Netflix).
And all applicants are offered a
free online workshop about staying physically and mentally healthy in the
industry to all scholarship applicants from BAPAM, a specialist healthcare
charity supporting individuals & organisations in the performing arts.
@justaddmilkjam
| #TheLukeWestlakeScholarship | www.justaddmilkjam.com
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