Ayomide Adegun (1).jpeg — The winner of the Luke Westlake Scholarship 2020 is Ayomide Adegun of Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama! 🎉

📸 Ali Wright Photography

The Luke Westlake Scholarship 2020

The Luke Westlake Scholarship is an award set up by JAM to reward a 2nd year BA Drama School or University student with over £3000 of artistic and financial support for their final year of training and first years in the industry.

The scholarship was established when we realised many actors were being priced out of their career once they left training. After spending upwards of £30k to learn their craft, actors need to purchase union membership, database subscriptions, materials for marketing themselves, and more; they often work zero hours jobs so they can duck out at short notice to attend auditions and can lack the contacts to get their foot in the door.

This year, we have renamed the scholarship in memory of Luke Westlake, a friend of JAM and a talented actor who trained with Kristian and Kyle at ArtsEd (2014-17). A diligent, fierce, working-class actor, he represents everything the scholarship stands for and JAM are very grateful to his parents, Bridgette and Lee, for giving their blessing to change the name of the scholarship in his honour.

If you are an actor-in-training in 2nd year at Drama School or University in the UK, you are eligible to apply. Please read on to find out more.

This year’s Scholarship is generously supported by Industry Minds and British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM).

Untitled design.png — The Luke Westlake Scholarship 2020 Shortlist

Congratulations to our 12-actor shortlist! 🎉
(Top left to bottom right) Anaya McDonald, Ayomide Adegun, Eve Robinson Rowan, Rithvik Andugula, Diyar Bozkurt, Brian James McKigen, Shona Hart, Elijah Cook, Tyreke Leslie, Zoe Pearson, Meg Bradley & Jonathon Vernon.

2020 Prizes

This year we’ve teamed up with even more companies to make the Scholarship even better. The 2020 Scholarship included the prizes below ↓

1yr Spotlight membership
1yr subscription to The Stage
2 industry advice sessions with Spotlight’s Emma Dyson (Performer Careers Consultant)
Full headshot session + edits with Samuel Black Photography
Full showreel package with self-tape.co.uk
First year tax return with Tax for Actors
Mentoring and artist development from Alistair Wilkinson (Old Vic)
Full voice reel 1yr full membership of Voiceover Kickstart's training and community with Guy Michaels at voice-reel.com
£100.00 voucher at Nick Hern Books
Industry advice meeting with an Agent from Olivia Bell Management
Industry advice meetings with: Casting Associate Faye Timby (The Witcher, Netflix) and Casting Assistants Naomi Downham (National Theatre) and Martin Poile (RSC)
6 JAM Casting Workshops
£500.00 towards accommodation rent (after graduating)
1yr subscription to Spikizi Accent and Dialect App

Shortlist Prizes

1-to-1 with Casting Director Emma Sylvester (Doctors, BBC)
Group session with 2 agents from 42 Management
Group feedback session with Casting Associate Faye Timby (The Witcher, Netflix)

2020 Panel