Update August 2004

There were four awards of the Ken-Friends bursary this year:

  • Claire Cahoon & Claire Flynn received awards to travel to London to train for 2 weeks with the National Youth Theatre
  • Elaine Gallagher is undertaking a music theatre course in Belfast with Youth Music:UK
  • Ruth McKee is travelling to Italy to take part in the Commedia Dell'arte International Summer School. Ruth is a cast member of UAYD's 2001 production 'A Scene from the Bridge' and is on a drama degree course in Scotland, so this course will let her undertake more specialist training
[Click on the bursary winners names to read their reports.]

"As always our thanks to the Ken-Friends for their continued and generous support, which provided much needed help for our young people."    Naomi Conway, UAYD Director

The UAYD summer production (sponsored by Ken-Friends) opens 14 August and will be the Irish Premiere of Salman Rushdie's Haroun and the Sea of Stories.
There are 5 performances:
14 August at 8 pm: Market Place Theatre, Armagh
19 - 21 August at 8 pm: Waterfront Studio, Belfast
21 August at 2.30 pm: Waterfront Studio, Belfast

UAYD committee members (Chairperson Patricia Irvine and Director Naomi Conway, the two lovely blonds in the front row) and award winners meet Ken-Friends after a performance of Edmond in September 2003.
 

UAYD Committee & Renaissance Award winners

See more photos here

Update - 2 May 2003

On Friday 27 April 2003 Ken attended a reception for Renaissance Award winners and Ken-Friends bursary winners (15 in all) at UAYD. Thanks to Naomi Conway for this report and the photos!

"Patricia Irvine, who is the current Chairperson, gave a short speech and then Ken added a few words thanking us for managing both awards and of course thanking all the Ken-Friends for your generous support and the benefits which the bursary scheme gives to our members. Following this Ken had a queue of excited young people waiting to speak to him and he very patiently and generously spoke to them all and posed for their photos as well. I know they were all extremely pleased that he took time to talk to them and took an interest in their training and future plans."

 
Update - 31 July 2002

A total of 8 Ken-Friends bursaries from our 2001 donation to UAYD have been awarded to the following people:

  • Jonathan Anderson (Magherafelt, Co. Tyrone) for the National Youth Music Theatre 'Dreaming' Program
  • Aisling Brown (Bellaghy, Co. Derry) for the National Youth Theatre
  • Marc Caldwell (Holywood, Co. Down) for the National Youth Music Theatre
  • Tory Gillespie (Bangor, Co. Down) for the National Youth Music Theatre
  • Molly Goyer Gorman (Cushendun, Co. Antrim) for the National Youth Theatre
  • Catherine Higgins (Lisburn, Co. Antrim) for the National Youth Theatre
  • Rebekah Rushe (Bessbrook, Co. Armagh) for the National Student Drama Ensemble
  • Emma Spence (Bangor, Co. Down) for the National Youth Theatre
They are all presently immersed in their training programs. Most of them will finish at the end of August, at which point they will start to send in their reports, which will be passed on to us. [Click on the bursary winners names to read their reports.]

"As always, our thanks to all the Ken-Friends for their support and interest in our work."
Naomi Conway, UAYD Director

The Renaissance Award winners this year were:
Lucia McAnespie - RADA
Kevin Trainor - RADA
Kerry-Jayne Wilson - Actors Studio, New York

August 2001

"Using the money Ken-Friends donated last fall, UAYD has awarded 12 Ken-Friends bursaries to talented young people, making it possible for them to attend theatre training programs this summer:

NATIONAL YOUTH THEATRE PERFORMANCE AND TOUR - intense workshops and rehearsals in London, followed by performances in London, Edinburgh and Belfast of Northern Irish writer Daragh Carville's new play "Holyland".

  • Lisa Duffy, Magherafelt
  • Niall McAleer, Belfast
  • Connor Phillips, Newry
  • Paul Kelly, Carrickmore
  • Gavin O'Carroll, Tandragee
BADA - BRITISH AMERICAN DRAMA ACADEMY - Midsummer in Oxford Program designed for serious acting students of all levels and concentrating on classical acting especially Shakespeare. Based in Oxford the program regularly features Britain's finest actors and directors with master classes and lectures, led by Kenneth Branagh, Dame Judi Dench, Sir Derek Jacobi, Fiona Shaw and Juliet Stevenson.
  • Judith Roddy,L/Derry
STAGEWISE - Stagewise Residential Youth Theatre Course in Gormanstown. Lets young people explore their creative talents and encourages them to develop their appreciation of and participation in theatre and drama.
  • Maire Fahy, Dungannon
  • Nicola Redman, Portadown
  • Sean McGeown, Dungannon
NATIONAL YOUTH THEATRE ACTING AND THEATRE PRACTICE - 3 week course that offers a wide range of training in disciplines such as acting skills, voice work, stage fighting and music. Culminates in a performance.
  • Alana Kerr, Belfast
  • Rachel Wilcock, Einiskillen
  • Philip Whyte, Bangor
Actually there was a 13th bursary winner, but she had to drop out of her summer course.

All of you should be very proud!"

The Renaissance Award winners for this year were:

Corinna Cunningham - East 15 Acting School
Mark Dugdale - Guildford School of Acting & Drama
Nick Lee - Samuel Beckett Centre, Trinity College, Dublin
Emmett Owens - The Webber Douglas Academy

Anyone who is in Northern Ireland this summer can see UAYD talent live:

"Following the success of UAYD's mammoth Millennium event YEEHAR! held last year at the Waterfront Hall Belfast, this year's summer project takes us outside Belfast to the exciting new theatres that have just been completed in Armagh, Lisburn and L/Derry. UAYD has assembled a superb young company of actors, musicians and technicians from all over Ulster to take part in the project and an award-winning team of professional theatre practiioners.

A SCENE FROM THE BRIDGE explores the world of a theatre company intent on commemorating the sacrifice of a local community hero, who has died in the creation of a Peace Bridge which was being built sumbolically over a Peace Wall. The play is working well until the young people who actually witnessed the incident are invited to the dress rehearsal. The reaction to how they have been portrayed on stage raises questions that lead the actors to question their assumptions about the story they have been telling and the very nature of theatre itself. Full of humour, music and memorable characters. A SCENE FROM THE BRIDGE also offers a thoughtful reflection on many of the most perplexing issues facing Northern Ireland since the ceasefire."

Performance dates:

The Market Place Armagh Theatre & Arts Center
August 16 - 18 at 8pm
Matinee August 19 at 2pm
box office: 028 3752 1821

The Island Hall Lisburn, Island Arts Center
August 20 - 22 at 8pm
box office: 028 9250 9509

The Millennium Forum, Derry/Londonderry
August 24 & 25 at 8pm
Matinee August 25 at 3pm
box office: 028 7126 0516

Update 5 July 2000

"This year's Ken-Friends Bursary Scheme has gone extremely well. We have more than doubled the number of applications, receiving 32 in total and the panel has, with some difficulty, decided to make 9 awards. Below is a breakdown of who they are, which courses they are doing and how much we awarded.

  • Gavin O'Carroll £500 - Tandragee, Co. Armagh National Youth Theatre (Acting and Theatre Practice)
  • Claire McMenamin £350 - Ballymoney, Co. Antrim National Youth Theatre
  • Gary McGrogan £350 - Holywood, Co. Down National Youth Theatre
  • Paul Kelly £100 - Omagh, Co. Tyrone National Youth Theatre
  • Carolan Carlile £200 pounds - Limavady Co. L/Derry Ulster Theatre Company
  • Lisa Ann Hogg £300 - Randalstown, Co. Antrim Ulster Theatre Company
  • Alan Keery £200 - Belfast, Co Antrim Ulster Theatre Company
  • Liam Toal £200 - Belfast, Co Antrim Ulster Theatre Company
  • Andrea Dougherty £300 - Belfast Theatre du Mouvement
The total amount awarded was £2,500, the difference of £277 has been retained for the presentation ceremony and administration costs. Our assessment criteria was based on merit, financial need and benefit of the training either to the applicant and/or to the communities where they live. Another bonus this year is that geographically there is a much wider spread of successful applicants. It is always a great concern that those living in the main cities of Belfast and L/Derry seem to end up with the lion's share of opportunities, but not so this year!" The Renaissance Award winners for this year were:

Marc Henry - Central School of Speech & Drama
Christopher Logan - RADA
Gerard McCarthy - Laine Theatre Arts
Aaron McCusker - Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama