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....

I WAS OFFERED ONE OF 15 PLACES FOR GIRLS TO STUDY MA MUSICAL THEATRE AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF MUSIC

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.  

DEFYING GRAVITY HAS A PRICE TAG.  

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.

WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU?

 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!  

FIND ME HERE

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