LAMDA blog by Carys Bowkett, Genesis LAMDA Scholar (class of 2018)

Tuesday, 13 October 2015

Carys Bowkett, the Genesis LAMDA Scholar for 2015, is about to embark on her three year BA (Hons) in professional acting. With the first term in full swing, Carys has written a blog entry on how she’s found the first few weeks and her transition from remote rural Wales to the hustle and bustle of London:

“I spent most of August packing my suitcase, squeezing various course books and practice skirts into the car ready for the long journey to London and saying a few last goodbyes.

One of the hardest goodbyes was my last visit to the village shop before the big move. I walked in just like I used to every Saturday when I was growing up. I passed the same chugging tractors and familiar faces on the way, and every “S’mae” and “Bore da” was filled with the familiarity of home.

I couldn’t help feeling a little proud as I walked past the village notice board and saw my name on a note reading “Congratulations on being awarded the Genesis Scholarship to train on LAMDA’s BA (Hons) Professional Acting”. I turned into the tiny shop, with shelves packed right up to the ceiling and locally weaved baskets hanging from the rafters, to be welcomed in by friendly faces beaming with excitement and questions.

For a place where an elderly neighbour once asked me if ‘The Internet’ was a place in Carmarthen (a town around 45 minutes away), the idea of becoming an actor is completely alien. Having said that, everyone was very excited for me to be heading further afield to pursue a career doing something I’m passionate about. As I walked back up the mountain on my way home, I could see across the valley to Pen-y-van and I couldn’t wait to get back to school for the start of term.

These first few weeks at LAMDA have been the most incredible, eye-opening experience for me. As you might expect, I felt very apprehensive as I stepped through the doors on my first day – it was a long journey to get here and I knew that this was only the very beginning. But now we’re halfway through week three (the weeks fly by!) and we already feel like part of the furniture.

Every second counts and I’m surrounded by incredible and inspirational people from different places and backgrounds; everyone has something very unique to bring to the room. We’re all learning so much from each other as our teachers introduce us to new techniques and it’s great to watch everyone find their own unique way through each experience. I feel like I’ve learnt so much just in these first few weeks at LAMDA. Every class throws something new and exciting at you; from getting to grips with staff work in stage combat to making every strange and wonderful sound under the sun in our voice classes.

So many things have happened that I never thought would be possible – the training helps you access parts of yourself that you never realised were even there. We are all constantly being challenged and are developing, each growing into our own individual person, and actor.

And it’s only week three of classes! I couldn’t be more excited and curious to see what the next term and indeed three years has in store.”

The Genesis LAMDA Scholarship is funded by the Genesis Foundation and covers the tuition fees of an exceptionally talented actor’s three years of study, as well as offering a substantial contribution to their living expenses. Former Genesis LAMDA scholars such as Samuel Barnett and Tom Riley have gone on to enjoy diverse and critically-acclaimed careers on the stage and screen.

To find out more about Carys, click here.