By
Laura Bird
London
Hi, I'm Laura!
From being a sing-in-the-shower-not-in-front-of-a-panel-of-strangers kind of gal, aged 18 I finally bit the bullet and jumped head-first into Musical Theatre.
3 years and countless productions later with experiences spanning the Midlands, London and a cheeky run in Edinburgh with my pals @improvmusical, here I am.
It wasn't until May this year that I gained the confidence to see if I could:
a) Get into a top London drama school
b) By this token enter the world of professional Musical Theatre
After months of preparation and a gruelling audition process, last year I got the best Christmas present I could have hoped for....
MY GOD IT'S EXCITING.
I fell in love with this place when I visited at an Open Evening, and the course itself is just all kinds of divine. Here's how the Academy describe it:
'The Musical Theatre course at the Academy, an intensive one-year MA (Master of Arts) programme, trains students for high-level careers in Musical Theatre. It provides a direct link into the profession by combining daily class work and one-to-one tuition with numerous opportunities to perform for industry experts.'
SOUNDS GREAT, RIGHT?
To actually translate into English what i'll be doing full-time for 9 months, day-to-day it will include the following:
- Project performances
- Agent showcase
- Singing lessons and repertoire coaching
- Dance and movement
- Acting and spoken word
- Integration of acting and singing
- Masterclasses and workshops
- Audition preparation
- Sight-reading and musical awareness
- History of musical theatre
After a week or so of lots of elated weeping (both at getting in and being able to eat carbs again) it hit me.
Small problem - I need £14,620 for the fees, which equates to £86 PER DAY. Good grief.
As it's a Postgraduate course I am keeping all my fingers and toes crossed to get a Government Maintenance loan which would cover the bulk of my living costs, however this still leaves the figure above, which I need to cover the costs of the course itself.
I am working incredibly hard and have a plan in place to save/raise everything I can through any means possible, which unfortunately still leaves a shortfall of at least £6000 to achieve the final amount.
The rather hefty tuition fee for the full course is due in August before I start. Everything I raise here will be going towards this. If I can raise this as a minimum amount, at least I can say yes and start on my long -yellow brick- road (sorry) to becoming a professional actress.
I have a variety of rewards to thank everyone who donates, whatever the amount you might give. Check them out at the side of this page.
Support me while I train and who knows, if i make it you could be the one that got me there!
I'm a real person, I promise! Just in case you're not convinced, you can find out more at the below links.
Twitter: @lelizabethbird
Email: l.e.bird@live.co.uk
My promise to you: I'll work so damn hard, never give up, and if it all works out and I end up as a professional actress you'll be able to say that you made it possible with your generous support.
Thank You
Laura x
Select this reward if you just want to donate to the project without receiving a reward.
19 claimed
You wanna hear a song, kid?! You name ANY song that you'd like me to cover, and I promise wholeheartedly that a cover you will get, in the form of a YouTube video uploaded to my account by the time I go. This can be musical theatre, Sam Smith, Barry White, Chas n Dave, whatever takes your fancy. I like a challenge (eep)
9 claimed
Estimated delivery: 1 September 2016
Ah, £40 - the cost of a standard West End show. For this you become a "patron" (if it worked for Marlowe back in the 16th Century it can work for me) - I promise you a written letter of thanks, regular updates whilst i'm on the course itself, and should the glorious moment arrive, a seat at my first paid gig.
11 claimed of 20
Estimated delivery: 1 September 2016
This is the cost of a single day's tuition at RAM for 2016-17. What you will get in return is any number of the services I can provide, also for a day. This includes but is not limited to: House sitting/dog walking, babysitting, cleaning, singing at an event, proofreading dissertations & presentations, helping with CVs and interview technique, line running, running errands, helping with branding/marketing, washing & ironing, selling your stuff for you on eBay.... ANYTHING* (*within the realms of UK law and fundamental human rights)
2 claimed of 5
Estimated delivery: 1 September 2016