Enter stage right: Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation

Sarah Lambie
Tuesday, September 1, 2020

The Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation funds training opportunities for young people in musical theatre, and supports organisations including the National Student Drama Festival. Sarah Lambie talks to the charity's director, Sarah Miller, about the challenges facing the musical theatre world.

Andrew Lloyd Webber with Music in Secondary Schools Trust pupils
Andrew Lloyd Webber with Music in Secondary Schools Trust pupils

Education has suffered greatly in recent months, and there are concerns that arts education may be further sidelined in favour of ‘core’ subjects in the interests of catching students up over the coming year. Why does the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation believe that music education is so important?

As a grant-giving organisation that believes in the transformative and regenerative power of the arts, it has been devastating to see the provision of the arts – especially music – eroded over a number of years. We welcomed the government's National Plan for Music Education in February, and it is vital this comes to fruition. Every child should have the right to free music education: the Andrew Lloyd Webber Programme of Music Education run by the Music in Secondary Schools Trust demonstrates that music empowers – it unlocks creative potential and teaches resilience, self-confidence and teamwork. It's critical for the government to value arts education, not only to nurture the creatives of the future, but to empower our young people with the life-skills they need to succeed in all aspects of their lives. The focus should not be shifted due to Covid-19 – the need for arts education is more urgent than ever.

Have there been any particular projects that have inspired you during this period of adversity?

We've been so impressed by the way many of the projects and organisations supported by the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation have adapted to online provision during this unsettling time, often at very short notice. Music in Secondary Schools Trust has held its annual Radley Residency online for over 250 students, with Nicola Benedetti and the Ayoub Sisters holding Q&As and performances. London Music Fund's #ScholarsMakingMusic campaign has produced some amazing videos and the Awards For Young Musicians Furthering Talent composition projects were also excellent.

© JAEGERFILM

© JAEGERFILM
Awards for Young Musicians recipient


© TOPHER MCGRILLIS

© TOPHER MCGRILLIS
Royal Shakespeare Company's Midsummer Night's Dream schools project; Moronke Akinola, ALWF Bristol Old Vic Theatre School scholarship recipient

© CRAIG FULLER

© CRAIG FULLER

The 2020 National Student Drama Festival was forced to cancel two weeks before it was due to open at Leicester Curve. Incredibly, the event went ahead online, free and available to all. Thirty-five professionally led masterclasses, nine technical theatre workshops, 33 mentoring sessions, one panel discussion and eight evening events were held, reaching an attendance of 10,070: far more than they would have been able to reach physically.

In July, the RSC's Next Generation Act company, supported by the Foundation over three years and comprising 25 talented aspiring actors aged 13-18 from underprivileged backgrounds, was due to perform a version of Giovanni Boccaccio's The Decameron – a story in which a group of young people isolate themselves to escape the plague. This was to take place at The Other Place in Stratford-upon-Avon but was cancelled as a result of the pandemic. Instead, these fantastic young actors created Decameron2020: Under Lockdown. It's a brilliant and inspirational response from young people who have clearly benefited from the expertise of RSC practitioners.

What might you say to a young person hoping to embark on professional training and a career in musical theatre?

We believe that in order to maintain vibrancy in the arts, it is critical that the next generation of diverse artists is nurtured and encouraged, and have now funded over 100 performing arts scholarships at renowned schools and colleges across the UK, awarded on the combined basis of talent and financial need.

We've also worked with The Stage and UK Theatre to develop an online resource – getintotheatre.org – listing training and funding opportunities, initiatives and information about the range of careers available in the theatre industry – in one platform. This would be a good place to start if you want to know more about working in the theatre.

Through our grant and scholarship recipients, we have seen time and again that the most successful are equipped with the right skills, are highly motivated, resilient and have a passion for what they do. So, I would say, work hard in your training, seek out opportunities and be positive about the future – it's in your hands.

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