Ken-Friends Bursary Winners Reports 2005 Ruth Jennings (16 years) National Youth Theatre Workshop Course On the 16th August I first set foot in the Laban Centre to begin the National Youth Theatre Course in London. Within minutes I felt completely at ease and was ready to start working. I've always loved drama and it felt immense to be surrounded by so many people with the same dream - to act, and with the drive to do it. Yet I never felt like I was competing, instead much of the ethos of the group was teamwork and we all strived to make our final piece as professional as possible. The days were filled with work on improvisation techniques, singing, stage fighting, accents, dancing, clowning and much more. In addition I couldn't help but enjoy the energy games, which helped you to feel positive about the work. You could really let go of all inhibitions and just be yourself. In the evening we went on some group trips to all types of theatre including Saturday Night Fever, Pericles and some of the NYT's own productions including Antigone. Having completed the course I've had a hugely beneficial and fun filled time. Not only have I learnt valuable acting and life skills I know will leave me, I've also made some fantastic lifelong friends. This was partly due to the financial help from the Ken-Friends through the Ulster Association of Youth Drama; the rest of the finance came from my family and baby-sitting money. This advantageous experience was incredible fun and I'm convinced will be useful and an excellent memory for the rest of my life. Ruth McKee (22 years) London Academy of Music and Drama Physical Theatre Summer School 'Learning to enjoy the game' was the predominant focus of Lamda's 2-week physical theatre course. Through this intensive course we examined the physical process through 3 main principals - the Neutral Mask, Buffoon and The Clown. The course has enriched my professional training through providing me with crucial insights into how physical theatre of the Le Coq tradition is progressing in Britain. In addition, the many devised improvisations and games functioned to highlight the importance of the collaborative process of theatre production in contemporary theatre. In addition to the support of the Ken-Friends, I was able to support my place on the course by working as a facilitator in Commedia Dell'Arte techniques with a student theatre group and as a dance and physical theatre critic for TheEdinburghGuide.com. Alana Kerr (21 years) Youth Music Theatre: UK Performance Course Youth Music Theatre: UK is a new national company dedicated to the development of young musical theatre talent from the ages of 11 - 21. This summer I took part in a full-scale production of Goblin Market, a new chamber opera adapted from the 1862 Christina Rossetti poem, directed by Kath Burlinson and with an original score by Lurgan born composer Conor Mitchell. The performances were staged over 3 weeks at the George Square Theatre in Edinburgh as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Personal development was encouraged in all areas during rehearsal and we engaged in numerous dramatic activities in order to develop our characters. Our time was split between vocal, physical and dramatic rehearsals and the professional atmosphere allowed me to give 100% effort at all times. I had a lot of fundraising to do before I could commit to the project. The total I was aiming to raise was £500 and I decided to approach this in different ways and was successful in raising a total of £465 through a raffle, bag packing at a local supermarket and from the Ken-Friends. I had an amazing time with YMT and will never forget my summer at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival - thank you so much for your help. Sinead Gribben (15 years) Youth Music Theatre: UK Performance Course Edinburgh Fringe Festival was the most amazing experience I have ever had! During my 5-week stay I took part in the Cavalcade - a 3-mile walk around Princes Street to try and publicise our performance of the Goblin Market. We were in full costume, hair and make-up and gave out leaflets to everyone we passed. I was also given my first ever main role, a singing part. I had to learn to overcome a tremendous amount of nerves every time I went on stage to perform, though I enjoyed every moment! Each morning we were out of bed at 7am to start a long and tiring day. We took part in yoga and body conditioning for 2 hours; this helped me to become fitter for my part. We had dance and song sessions where I learnt to how to strengthen my core stability and got lots of little tips on using my voice! By doing the project I have gained a lot more confidence in myself and, most of all, in my stage presence. I truly wouldn't have missed out on this experience for the world. I just hope that I'll enjoy every project I take part in as much.