Young Actors Studio
Latest News
YAS Student, YAS Student Mentor and YAS Course Leader
land roles in new five -part drama for BBC (June
2010)
YAS student, Naomi Everson, RWCMD 2009 BA Acting Graduate and
2008/09 YAS Student Mentor, Alexander Vlahos and YAS Course Leader,
Erica Eirian have just started filming a new five-part drama series
for BBC One Daytime starring Sanjeev Bhaskar.
The Indian Doctor is being broadcast
to mark the 50th anniversary of the start of the Swinging Sixties.
Set in a small, Welsh mining village in 1963, the plot revolves
around Dr Prem Sharma (Sanjeev Bhaskar), one of the thousands of
doctors who, encouraged by former minister of health, Enoch Powell,
moved from the Indian subcontinent to the UK to begin new
lives.
Naomi, who recently finished filming comedy pilot Shelf
Stackers for BBC Switch, plays Gina, Dr Sharma’s receptionist.
Alex, whose recent credits include Crash (BBC Wales),
Doctors (BBC) and Pen Taler (Fiction Factory)
plays Tom, Gina’s love interest. Erica, whose tv credits include
episodes of Doctor Who (BBC) and Coronation
Street (Granada), plays Sian, Gina’s grandmother
(unfortunately no make-up required), and runs the “little bit of
everything” village shop. However, Erica has no intention of giving
up the day job just yet!
James Westaway Award for the Young Actors Studio Most
Promising Young Actor 2009/10 (May 2010)
We’re
delighted to announce that this year’s winner of the James Westaway
Award for the Young Actors Studio Most Promising Young Actor
2009/10 is Emrys Barnes.
This year the winner was selected from our leavers who are
departing for either Drama School or University. Emrys was
nominated by his tutors along with fellow nominees Chris Gordon,
Alex Griffin-Griffiths, Ricky Smith and Jenny Davies and selected
by majority vote.
The award, a set of Welsh drama titles and a cash prize, was to
be presented to Emrys at the Royal Welsh College of Music and
Drama's Graduation ceremony in St. David's Hall, Cardiff on
25th June but unfortunately Emrys will be sitting an
A’level exam and is unable to attend! Instead it will be presented
to Emrys on the last day of this Summer Term (11th July).
Sponsored by Parthian, Wales' foremost publisher of contemporary
fiction, poetry and drama, this annual award in honour of James
Westaway, a promising young actor, who died tragically young in
2000 and who trained as a Post-Graduate student at the Royal Welsh
College of Music and Drama.
Two YAS students offered places on the prestigious
National Youth Theatre of Great Britain Summer Course (April
2010)
This year 4600 young people were auditioned in 22 cities throughout
the UK for the prestigious National Youth Theatre of Great Britain
Summer Course and YAS students Paisley Jackson and Maeve Scullion
are the only 2 young actors from Wales to be offered places. The
course is 13 days in duration and will take place in London at the
critically acclaimed venue LABAN in Greenwich.
This will be a life changing experience for both girls as, once
they complete the course, National Youth Theatre members are
invited to audition for National Youth Theatre productions in
subsequent years until they reach the upper age limit of 21. The
National Youth Theatre mounts large scale productions and events in
its seasons in London as well as major venues and festivals across
the UK. National Youth Theatre members can also get involved with
Education and Community projects, working with young people across
the country, allowing them further opportunity for theatrical
experience. Along with the training and support given by YAS,
attendance at the NYT will also help both to extend their skills
and experience in readiness for applying for Drama Schools.
We in YAS congratulate both Paisley and Maeve and wish them
success and hope they are both able to raise the £800 they each
need in order to be able to attend the course.
Simon Harris, one of our Acting Tutors, has recently
been made an Associate Director at The Torch Theatre in West
Wales.
(January 2010)
Simon is an award-winning director and
dramatist, who is a current recipient of a Creative Wales Award
from the Arts Council of Wales. His professional relationship with
the Torch dates back over many years and features several highly
successful visiting productions. He is the former Artistic Director
of Sgript Cymru, as well as a graduate Fellow of the Clore
Leadership Programme. Simon will work alongside Artistic Director
Peter Doran in order to enhance and develop the artistic programme.
It is anticipated that Simon will also direct future productions
for the company. The College’s Director of Drama and Head of
Design, Sean Crowley was also made an Associate Director of the
Torch Theatre at the same time.
YAS students join the cast of Ironclad (January
2010)
Carlton Venn (Act I) and Martin Cannon (Act
III) rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest names in Hollywood
during the filming of Wales’ largest independent production
Ironclad.
Carlton spent three weeks working on Ironclad, which is
set in the 13th century and follows a determined group of Knights
Templar as they defend Rochester Castle against a tyrannical King
John, and has a cast that includes Robert Carlyle, Bob Hoskins,
Jason Flemyng, Richard Attenborough, Derek Jacobi, Pete
Postlethwaite, Mackenzie Crook, and 2008 RWCMD Graduate Aneurin
Barnard. Martin enjoyed a few small scenes including “a cool
torture scene where I get my hands cut off, opposite Brian Cox!” As
well as attending YAS, both Carlton and Martin attend The
Workshop, a Cardiff based enterprise dedicated to training
and creating opportunities for young people in the film and
television industry. It was through The Workshop's agency ATSLI
that Martin and Carlton were approached and cast in
Ironclad. Congratulations to them both – we look forward
to seeing them both on the big screen!
Trio of YAS Students cast in short film! (November
2009)
George Nichols, Ieuan Callaghan and Sean Bridgeman (3 of our
current Acting Course students) all have parts in a short film
about domestic violence and are currently filming. Congratulations
to all three! Watch this space for more information about the
film.
YAS students audition for films (August
2009)
We like to give our students as much info and support as possible.
If there’s an audition or opportunity out there, we’ll pass it
on.
Hollie Blundell, one of our 30 Week YAS Pilot Acting Course
students, attended an open audition in Manchester for a new film
called Hunky Dory. Directed by Marc Evans (who did
Snowcake and Trauma), the film is set in Swansea
in the summer of 1976 and is billed as halfway between a musical
and a drama. Hollie got through to the last three at audition - a
fantastic achievement.
Recently we suggested two of our 30 Week YAS Pilot Acting Course
students for a BBC2 drama “Royal Wedding”. The casting director and
production team were extremely impressed by both Kate Williams and
Naomi Everson and Naomi got down to the final two for one of the
three lead roles! Congratulations to both!
Young Actor awarded Memorial Prize (July
2009)
Nadia O’Neill, one of our YAS Pilot Year students, was
awarded the inaugural James Westaway Award for Young Actors Studio
Most Promising Young Actor 2008/9, sponsored by Parthian Books.
Awarded to the YAS Acting Course student who has shown the most
progress and improvement in their creative growth and development,
Nadia was chosen by her YAS tutors and wins a set of Welsh drama
titles and a cash prize. The award was presented to Nadia at the
Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama's Graduation ceremony in St.
David's Hall, Cardiff on 3rd July.
Parthian, Wales' foremost publisher of contemporary fiction,
poetry and drama, have sponsored this annual award in honour of
James Westaway, a promising young actor, who died tragically young
in 2000 and who trained as a Post-Graduate student at the Royal
Welsh College of Music and Drama.
‘To be a good actor requires talent, a lot of hard work and
real commitment, James had it in bucket-loads and I'm sure he would
have been delighted to know that Nadia is doing so well on that
road with the Young Actors Studio especially as he trained at the
Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama himself.’ Lewis
Davies, Parthian Books
You can read what Nadia thinks about YAS and how she feels about
winning the prize here
YAS students shine in BA Acting show (April
2009)
Four students from the YAS 30 Week Pilot Acting Course joined third
year BA Acting undergraduates to perform in Daisy Pulls It
Off – a jolly good adventure story with midnight feasts and
hot botty fights!
Emily Jones from Tredegar, Siobhan Madden from Dursley in
Gloucestershire, Kate Williams from Pencoed and Sophie Brown from
County Antrim were all selected to take part in five performances
of the show at Venue 1 at Sherman Cymru. This included three and a
half weeks of rehearsals with RWCMD acting, design and stage
management students as well as college staff and a professional
director.
For more info about YAS Acting Courses and YAS Theatre Workshop,
order online here, email: yas@rwcmd.ac.uk or call: 029 2039
1394.