Thursday, 18 September
Two new theatrical talents receive awards from the Genesis Foundation
Young Vic: Finn Beames receives Genesis Future Directors Award
LAMDA: Lewis Bruniges becomes a Genesis LAMDA Scholar
The Genesis Foundation, which works in partnership with leading arts organisations to nurture and develop outstanding young artists, is now supporting two new theatrical talents: at the Young Vic, Finn Beames, 27, becomes this year’s second recipient of the Genesis Future Directors Award, while the new academic year at LAMDA marks the arrival of 19 year-old Lewis Bruniges as a Genesis LAMDA Scholar as he starts his BA (Hons) in Professional Acting.
Commenting on these two awards, John Studzinski, Founder and Chairman of the Genesis Foundation said:
“In making this commitment to supporting Finn and Lewis, the Genesis Foundation is both continuing to nurture outstanding artistic talent and to deepen its relationship with two of this country’s most dynamic and imaginative arts organisations. I look forward to watching Finn and Lewis excel in their careers in the years ahead.”
Finn Beams, recipient of the Genesis Future Directors Award
Finn Beams, chosen from more than 400 applicants, is the recipient of a Genesis Future Directors Award. He is the second young director to receive one of these awards this year, following Tinuke Craig, whose production of debbie tucker green’s dirty butterfly opens at the Young Vic on 1 October.
Finn is a graduate of King’s College Cambridge, where he gained particular experience in directing new opera, notably Terrible Lips, which he co-wrote with composer Kate Whitley, and Uncle Dima, a piece of music theatre on which his collaborator was composer Gavin Higgins. Finn is the founder and Artistic Director of Bodycorps – a company established in 2011 to commission new work in theatre and opera. In October the company will premiere The Anatomy of Melancholy, made possible with funding from the Wellcome Trust, at Testbed1 in Battersea.
Established in 2012, the Genesis Future Directors Award was created to nurture emerging young directors by providing them with an opportunity to explore and develop their craft while creating their first fully resourced production at the Young Vic, recognised as a major theatre for young directors who are developing and practising their art. Finn was selected as the Genesis Future Director from an extremely strong crop of candidates and the award will provide support and mentorship from the theatre’s unique creative network, which includes Artistic Director David Lan and current Genesis Fellow Natalie Abrahami, former Director of the Gate Theatre, Notting Hill. Further details of Finn’s debut production at the Young Vic will be announced later this year.
Finn follows in the footsteps of Ben Kidd, the first recipient of the Genesis Future Directors Award, who in December 2012 directed a sell-out Young Vic production of David Mamet’s The Shawl, and of Matthew Xia, whose production of Athol Fugard’s Sizwe Banzi is Dead returned to the Young Vic in early 2014 and was lauded by critics as ‘stylishly stark, brilliantly acted’ (The Times) and ‘A gripping triumph’ (The Guardian).
David Lan, Artistic Director of the Young Vic, said:
“Finn Beames has what seems to me an unusually musical gift as a director. He is blessed with a powerfully focused sense of what he wants to create as an artist, and of the artistic world he wants to live in. The Genesis Award will help him get closer to achieving his goals by providing him with time to work with gifted actors on three short plays by a great writer. It seems to me that this is precisely what the Genesis Foundation and the Young Vic established this award for.”
Lewis Bruniges: LAMDA Scholar (Class of 2017)
19 year-old Lewis comes to LAMDA for his BA (Hons) in Professional Acting from Brentwood, Essex. He already has impressive acting experience, having performed with RADA’s Youth Company and the National Youth Theatre.
Following a rigorous audition process, Lewis was selected unanimously by a scholarship panel chaired by actress, director and LAMDA Vice-President, Dame Janet Suzman, and by LAMDA trustee and Olivier Award-winning actress Patricia Hodge.
Genesis LAMDA Scholars’ tuition is entirely funded by the Genesis Foundation over three years of study and they also receive a substantial contribution towards their living expenses. Former LAMDA scholars, such as Tom Riley and Samuel Barnett, have gone on to enjoy diverse and critically-acclaimed careers on the stage and screen.
A thrilled Lewis said:
“It’s a strange feeling to have some form of confirmation from outstanding professionals in the field that I hope to enter into that perhaps I can one day act, and act well. They are trusting me to thrive and bear creative fruit from the money they are investing in my potential, and I can only feel humbled by the sense of purpose and promise that comes from something this generous.”
John Bashford, LAMDA’s Associate Principal, said:
“The panel were impressed by the passion and raw vulnerability Lewis revealed in the audition and his ability to communicate confidently a wide range of interests. His awareness of the wider world and commitment to his craft make him an ideal candidate for LAMDA’s training, rooted, as it is, in the best tradition of ensemble training.”
For more information please contact George Chambers at Albion Media, george@albion-media.com / 0207 3077 4942