Drama St Mary’s Student Awarded Prestigious Laurence Olivier Bursary

Current student Aimee Ebsworth studying BA Acting at St Mary’s University, Twickenham has been awarded the Carmen Silvera Bursary.

The bursary was given in conjunction with the Laurence Olivier Bursary, donated by the agent Barry Burnett and is worth £3,000. The bursaries were established in 1987 by the Society of London Theatre (SOLT) to support students with financial difficulties through their studies and this year, a total of £77,500 worth of Bursaries was awarded to 19 drama school students across the country.

The auditions took place at St Martin’s Theatre last month in front of a panel of theatre industry experts headed by Lee Menzies, West End producer and Chair of the Laurence Olivier Bursaries Committee.

Speaking of her achievement Aimee said ‘The experience as a whole has given me the opportunity to focus solely on my acting and studies next term. It’s made me love what I’m doing even more and I’m unbelievably grateful for my wonderful lectures who put me forward and to be awarded this bursary that will open many doors for me as a young actor. I’m so excited to see what the future holds! ‘.

Head of Drama St Mary’s, Mark Griffin said ‘The competition for these bursary awards is incredibly fierce and we're so proud that Aimee made such a huge impression on the panel. Her talent, charisma and determination are inspiration to all of us in Drama St Mary's and it's fantastic that these qualities have been recognised and rewarded in such an encouraging way by the industry. She is most certainly an actor, comedienne and musician to watch out for in the future.’.

To find out more about Drama St Mary’s and the courses they offer, please visit the University website.