THE BRANCH SCHOLARSHIPS

In celebration of our 40^th anniversary, BADA will offer three Branch Scholarships for Spring semester 2025, covering full tuition on our flagship London Theatre Program. The Scholarships are named after BADA’s founder Tony Branch (1939-2023), and are open to candidates resident in Camden and neighbouring London boroughs. The Scholarships will be awarded competitively through an audition and interview process.

This is an unparalleled opportunity for students local to BADA’s Camden home to undertake full-time theatre training for free, perfect as a bridge into studying in a UK or international theatre conservatoire, or as part of a portfolio of training. On conclusion of the program, Scholars will receive a Certificate of Completion from BADA.

We are looking for three exceptional candidates to be the first Branch Scholars.

If you think you might be one of the first Branch Scholars, please email BADA’s Interim Programmes Coordinator Emma Veares on branch@bada.org.uk, attaching a CV, by Friday 18th October.

Eligibility
- This opportunity is open to any actor aged 21 – 25 resident in Camden and neighbouring London boroughs
- The spring semester begins on Monday 13th January and concludes on Friday 18th April and candidates must be available to study and rehearse full-time throughout this period
- Due to the intensive nature of the course, students could only undertake intermittent shift work alongside the training
Audition & Interview

Interviews and auditions for the Branch Scholarships will take place in late October/early November 2024. Candidates should prepare two speeches of their choice:
- one written between 1585 and 1685
- one modern or contemporary
The Branch Scholarships will cover full tuition fees, as well as theatre tickets and social events. Scholars will be responsible for their own accommodation, transport and subsistence. Candidates should be prepared to undertake a rigorous ensemble training programme with up to 35 hours per week of classes; due to the intensive nature of the course, it should be noted that students could only undertake intermittent shift work alongside the training.

BADA operates strict policies around timekeeping and professionalism, and inculcates an ethos of collaboration, consent and creative generosity; we would expect recipients of the Branch Scholarships to live up to the highest standards of professional behaviour. As the majority of students on the London Theatre Program are from the USA, we are also looking for candidates who are sensitive to cultural difference, and who are passionate both about building an international creative network, and about taking the initiative in sharing their home city with talented and creative visitors.
Based at BADA’s home next to Regents Park, the London Theatre Program is the longest-running semester programme in London offering conservatoire actor training. For over thirty years, the LTP has delivered a rigorous and progressive 14-week acting course focused on classical theatre skills, aimed at undergraduate theatre students from America and around the world. Our internationally-renowned faculty of teaching artists includes faculty from RADA, Central, LAMDA, Guildhall and other major drama schools.

The first eight weeks of the semester comprise classes in Acting, Shakespeare, Physical Theatre, Comedy, Movement, Voice, Stage Combat, Dramatic Criticism and Analysis; as well as weekly theatre trips, tutorials and masterclasses, and introductory workshops on boundaries and consent.

Following a one-week midterm break, the semester concludes with a five-week rehearsal process for a studio production of a classic play, led by a professional creative team and culminating with performance in a London studio theatre.

Spring semester 2025 begins on Monday 13^th January. Classes run through to Friday 7^th March. Production rehearsals begin on Monday 17^th March, with performances in the week commencing Monday 14^th April. The semester concludes on Friday 18^th April.

Candidates must be available to study and rehearse full-time throughout this period.

For more information about the course, visit our London Theatre Program page.
BADA Co-Founders Tony Branch and Carolyn Sands

Anthony “Tony” Branch (1939- 2023) Tony founded BADA along with Carolyn Sands in 1984. Tony’s vision of providing an American and international student body with access to top British theatrical practitioners remains a unique offering to this day.

If you have any questions about the Branch Scholarships, the London Theatre Program or BADA, please email BADA’s Interim Programmes Coordinator Emma Veares on branch@bada.org.uk.