Every year, CDS Drama Schools compete for the Carleton Hobbs Radio Award. Last year we were delighted when Francine Challands was chosen as overall winner of the competition and since has worked with some of the country’s finest actors on BBC Radio productions.

Named after one of Radio’s most distinguished actors, the Carleton Hobbs initiative has been run by BBC Radio Drama every year since 1953, proudly reaching its 50th anniversary in 2003. Radio Drama’s two radio acting awards (see Norman Beaton Fellowship) are brought together under Radio Drama’s umbrella title for all its acting initiatives. It was formally launched at the National Theatre in July 2003, where, among starry company, we were delighted to welcome seven new actors to our Radio world – five Carleton Hobbs Bursary Award winners and two holders of the Norman Beaton Fellowship.

Radio Drama is particularly proud of its reputation for finding and encouraging those starting out on their professional actor lives. In its time, the competition has launched the careers of 120 outstanding graduating students. The Carleton Hobbs Bursary is aimed at students graduating from regular (or post-graduate) courses run by accredited drama schools across the country. Via the scheme, we look for distinctive, versatile radio voices to form the next season’s Radio Drama Company. We believe that the Carleton Hobbs event offers a unique opportunity to new acting talent, and hope that it will continue to be important to schools and students alike.

The Carleton Hobbs Bursary Award complements the work which the BBC invests across the board in new writing and directing talent. With a wider share of information across Drama Units in Radio and on Television, the focus on being part of a bi-media environment is strong.

Winning a Bursary is not so much about the chance of gaining a job and a regular pay-cheque, but the opportunity of extending the students’ training in a unique acting environment – one where they’ll work with the best actors and writers in the country on a wide range of contemporary and classic plays.

Date: Sunday 1st of April

Time: 16.00

Venue: Globe Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe

Tickets: £10 (£5 standing)

Box Office: 020 7401 9919

Join an Acting tutor at Italia Conti in conversation with his former student, actor Matt Lapinskas, who has found success starring in Eastenders as Anthony Moon. They’ll discuss how training prepares you for the realities of the profession, how casting for television actually works and explore the tricks of the trade Matt has picked up so far!

Perform 2012            Book your Ticket

E: acting@italiaconti.co.uk                                    Book Online                                                     T: 020 7733 3210

(THE PERFORMANCE AT THE FORTUNE THEATRE ON THE 21ST IS FOR INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS BY INVITATION ONLY)

His subsequent freelance projects included work on national tours for the RSC, projects with young and emerging actors with NYT and the National Theatre, regional productions at Chester and the Watermill and graduate productions with many of the country’s leading drama schools, while acting as an external assessor and advisor for various bodies including the QCA. As a result of this he was asked to head up the expanding School of Theatre at Rose Bruford, redeveloping the multiple performance programmes for the contemporary demands both of the profession and validation and accreditation bodies; a brief he then explored further with the post graduate programmes at Birmingham School of Acting.

Joining Italia Conti, his brief has been to ensure the programme offers a comprehensive training in line with the highest standards of the sector, develop graduate actors of the highest calibre who are fully prepared for the multiple and changing demands of the profession. His recruitment of high profile teaching staff, his reputation for steering coherent innovation within the curriculum, his executive producer role actively developing the universally commended 3rd year Film Project and the business development of the department to include additional courses have all contributed to the programme’s reputation for excellence. His responsibility and vision for programme expansion and quality enhancement are fundamentally allied to the hands on delivery of the training and connection to the students, and he still teaches and directs at all levels of this programme, as well as acting as an external advisor to other sector bodies and training institutions.

Having been recruited for Italia Conti in 2000 to provide a coherent link between the industry and the Acting programmes, Kerry has been instrumental in ensuring that the department maintains a consistently significant profile within the wider profession for training versatile, high calibre actors. Within the BA Hons programme, she has worked closely with the Programme Directors to ensure that the practical delivery of the training remains valid for the changing demands of the profession, and continues to meet both industry and higher education requirements for accreditation and validation. Responsible for producing the Agents Showcase events and promotional materials for graduating students within the programme, she also managed the CDS Spotlight Showcase for Graduating Students in New York for several years and continues to maintain working relationships with various agents to ensure the ongoing currency of the programme provision, especially within the third year. She also acts as an executive producer of the 3rd year film project, which has received outstanding responses from both within the academic field and within the industry.

As programme co-ordinator she is responsible for the day to day operational management of all the Acting department programmes and staff, steering long term business development of the department with the programme director and is the central point for all professional and pastoral student concerns.

She has taken many professional workshops including: Patricia Bardi (Physical Voice in the Moving Body); Voic(E)motion – Guy Dartnell;  Lamentation – Marya Lowry; Ancient Choral – Tomasc Rodowicz,  Gardeniezce Theatre; War between Words and Voice – Enrique Pardo, Pan Theatre; The Voice of Violence – Lise Olsen; Improvisation – Katarzyna Deszcz, and Butoh theatre – Katsura  Khan. She also delivered a workshop for professionals on “Voice and Movement into Abstraction” with the movement director Simone Coxall, at the International Centre for Voice.

Sarah is a member of Equity, British Voice Association, Centre for Performance Research, and VASTA (Voice & Speech Trainers Association, USA). Her book The Integrated Voice is due to be published by Nick Hern Books in 2012.

Acting work includes ‘Sir John French’ in Colchester’s Oh What a Lovely War , High Society (West Yorkshire Playhouse) and Showboat at the London Palladium. On television his work includes Truly Madly Deeply, Inspector Morse, Holding On, Casualty,The Blonde Bombshell, Family Affairs , ‘Micawber’ , ‘Chucklevision’ and Murder City

Graeme has directed three community plays one of which he wrote, and a reminiscence play about Buckinghamshire with professionals. He wrote and directed a children’s play for the Natural History Museum called the Beast Feast and is also director of the European Theatre Summer School in Luxembourg. Graeme holds an M.A in Modern Theatre and Drama from London Metropolitan University and he also teaches singing and ‘Acting Through Song’ at Drama Centre, London.

Recent performance credits include: Swaying for choreographer and film-maker Jacky Lansley (film) and Take 5 Women for choreographer Jenny Hill. Angela trained at TooBa Physical Theatre Centre, the Dance Research Centre and holds an MA in Movement Studies from the Central School of Speech and Drama.

www.angelagasparetto.com

Her theatre writing and editing credits include material for Woman’s Hour, Anne Frank: Public Face, Private Child, various pantomimes and sketch shows, Flutter Echoes and The Significance of Feet. She usually has one too many writing projects in development for anyone’s comfort…

Previously General Manager of the Actors Centre, she has always maintained strong connections with the developing field of training actors. Her broader academic work includes guest lecturing in event management, providing special tuition in study skills, english, creative writing, history and creating curriculum resources for literature and theatre projects.