Louis Ellis won a Laurence Olivier Bursary
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Update
The Society of London Theatre formally hosted the presentation ceremony for the winners at their offices in London on 20th September.
Follow the link to read the official press release from the Society of London Theatre: SOCIETY OF LONDON THEATRE ANNOUNCES LAURENCE OLIVIER BURSARIES 2018
We are delighted to announce that Louis Ellis was awarded a Laurence Olivier Bursary at the end of his 2nd year at ALRA South. This will really help ease some of the financial pressures that studying at drama school can bring as he begins his third year.
This is the seventh time in six years that an ALRA student has received this award. The Laurence Olivier Bursary was established in 1987 in commemoration of the 80th birthday of great British actor Laurence Olivier. He was passionate about giving aid to young actors who have the potential to make a significant contribution to British theatre, and the bursaries aim to achieve this by helping UK drama students with their training by alleviating some of the financial burdens.
Every year, two participants are nominated by the principals of the leading drama schools to present a 10-minute audition and interview in front of a panel of distinguished judges - usually comprising producers and casting directors - to compete for the bursaries.
Winning the award is a great recognition of Louis' talent and, he was very pleased to hear the good news. Commenting on his win, Louis said:
"Firstly to be put forward for the Lawrence Olivier bursary by the school was an honour, subsequently winning it was a dream. Without the award I was faced with the scary reality that I would not be able to complete my third year of training which, after all the work put in this far, would be a great shame.
Other than assisting with fees and rent I will now be able to see all of the theatre that I have missed over the two years which will aid me in my studies because I will be able to make comparisons to the professional standard that I'm aiming for. But mostly, to study a year without anxiety allows me to be fully engaged in every aspect of ALRA life. And I am very excited."
The Society of London Theatre will be hosting a presentation for the winners later in September.
Last year, ALRA's Romario Simpson received a the Laurence Olivier Bursary.