The Brian Weaver Fellowship at Derby Theatre announced for a third year.

Following its launch at the end of 2013, and an incredibly successful first two  years, Derby Theatre is delighted to announce that The Brian Weaver Fellowship  will once again be offered to another aspiring local actor from Derbyshire.

Set up due to a generous personal donation from former Buxton resident Doreen Weaver in memory of her late husband, Brian, the Fellowship will once again  provide a local young actor with roles in two professional theatre productions,  plus a whole host of other exciting opportunities.  When Brian sadly passed away Doreen wanted to create a legacy for his passion for theatre and decided to approach Derby Theatre to discuss how this could be recognised in his home county. Now, thanks again to Doreen’s continuing generosity, the Fellowship will run for a third year in Brian’s memory.

The successful Fellowship recipient for 2016 will gain at least 14 weeks professional acting experience and the opportunity to appear in two Derby Theatre productions plus they will also benefit in many other ways from the Theatre and the links it has to the wider UK theatre industry.

Jake Waring, from Whatstandwell in Derbyshire, was the second successful recipient of The Brian Weaver Fellowship in 2015. During his Fellowship year, Jake appeared in the smash-hit, sell-out Brassed Off during last autumn and the highly acclaimed production of Cinderella over the festive period. Before being offered the Fellowship, Jake’s previous experience included being a member of Derby Playhouse Youth Theatre, Derby Shakespeare Theatre Company and The National Youth Theatre. He trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and after graduating he helped to form Engineer Theatre Collective and devised and performed in Missing, a five star, sell-out, award-winning show at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Jake also worked with puppeteers, Blind Summit, including performing to over a quarter of a million audience members in the opera on the lake; The Magic Flute in Bregenz, Austria.

Talking about his Fellowship year, Jake Waring said: “The Fellowship has been truly amazing. I have learnt so much from the year and worked with so many fantastic people. With my previous experience, combined with the invaluable experience I have gained during my Fellowship year, I truly have a genuine platform from which to build and develop my career further. I am forever grateful to Doreen for her kindness and generosity.”
On the Fellowship being offered for a third year, Doreen Weaver said: “It does not seem possible that we shall soon be auditioning for a new Fellow for 2016. Having seen Jake perform in Brassed Off, and then very recently in Cinderella, I am sure that, once again, we have found a truly talented actor who will hopefully now progress with his career in the acting profession and be an inspiration to future applicants.

Every time I visit Derby Theatre, I am always impressed by the enthusiasm, talent and warmth of all those who work there. This environment must be a great help and encouragement to the young actors who are lucky enough to be associated with it and I could not have found a better “home” for Brian’s Fellowship.

Sarah Brigham (Artistic Director and Chief Executive, Derby Theatre) said: “Since launching the Fellowship two years ago, the success of the scheme has gone beyond our expectations. Adam Horvath, the first year recipient, was fantastic in the two productions he appeared in, The Odyssey and A Christmas Carol, and the second year Fellow Jake Waring also gave two great performances in our knockout and highly acclaimed productions of Brassed Off and Cinderella. Both Adam’s and Jake’s amazing talent, coupled with their incredibly positive attitude and willingness to learn, saw each of them soar and develop further into great actors during their Fellowship years. I am so proud of them both and I am confident they will do very well in the business. We will continue to support them both in the future. I am now very much looking forward to seeing who our third year recipient will be.”

Application and eligibility
Applicants need to have either been born in Derbyshire or be currently living in Derbyshire (proof will be required so please do not apply if you cannot prove this).
The applicant needs to be aged between 18 to 29 years old (as at Mon 14 March 2016) – again, proof will be required so please do not apply if you cannot prove this.

The applicant should aspire to a professional acting career, and so have some acting experience, which could be through amateur groups, school, youth theatre or some professional theatre, but not with an established career.

The Fellowship is intended to help support someone who may not have had the chance, due to financial, social, or cultural barriers to have taken up a career in acting or be likely to in the future.  The applicant therefore needs to write 500 words explaining why they feel they need the scholarship and how they will benefit from it, addressing the barriers outlined above. The applicant needs to be available from late  summer 2016.

To apply:
If you are interested in applying for The Brian Weaver Fellowship you must send the following to be eligible:
1. Your CV, which must detail: a) any acting experience along with any other experience that you feel demonstrates your commitment to theatre; b) your educational history including the school you attended; c) any work experience; d) your date and place of birth.
2. A covering letter of 500 words explaining why you think you qualify for the Fellowship and what it would mean to you.
Please send the above to Andrew McIntyre at: a.mcintyre@derby.ac.uk by the deadline Monday 14th March 2016.
If you have any specific questions regarding the Fellowship then please contact Caroline Barth, Head of Learning at Derby Theatre at: c.barth@derby.ac.uk or on 01332 593944 before Monday 7th March.
The applicant will be selected on the basis of an audition and an interview held on Tuesday 22nd March 2016.