The Luke Westlake Scholarship 2024

Darcy Dixon wins the Luke Westlake Scholarship 2024

A woman in a red dress holding a glass award at a scholarship event.

We are delighted to announced that Darcy Dixon (RADA) has won our sixth annual scholarship.

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Sponsors

This year’s scholarship is sponsored by Act on This TV. Their support means that we can continue to deliver and support working class actors through the scholarship.

We’d also like to thank our other supporters this year:

  • Pendley Theatre Company

  • Thomas Hopkins Productions

  • InterTalent Group

  • Pine Tree Productions

  • Simon & How Associates

And the following industry members who delivered fundraising workshops in August: Faye Timby-Taylor, Rachel Chambers, Sara Short, Lindsay Kutner, Oliver Campbell, Max Latimer and Ceri Bedingfield.

The 2024 Shortlist

2024 Shortlist Announced

Collage of eight diverse young adults with different facial features and hairstyles, looking at the camera.

We are delighted to announce the shortlist for the 2024 scholarship.

  • Callum Davies (Bristol Old Vic Theatre School)

  • Darcy Dixon (RADA)

  • Bryony Dougherty (East 15)

  • Nina Jones (Mountview)

  • Evie Kaisi (Guildhall)

  • Jeremie Kuyu-Tshiobi (ArtsEd)

  • Cathal Sheehan (LAMDA)

  • Dannielle Stevenson (Bristol Old Vic Theatre School)

Tickets

Tickets for the Luke Westlake Scholarship

Book Tickets

For the first time in our the scholarship’s history, we’ll be opening the scholarship award evening to the general public.

Come and support the next generation of working class talent, with a night of captivating stories and excellent entertainment. Tickets* are £12.50 and go straight back into the running costs of the scholarship.

Lyric Hammersmith Theatre - Thursday 05 December 2024

*Tickets are non-refundable

Interior of a theater with red velvet seats, ornate white and gold decorations, and multiple balconies.

2024 Prizes

  • The logo for Spotlight Homecoming features a stylized spotlight with a rainbow-colored, circular beam shining on the text.

    Spotlight

    1yr Subscription

  • Teal background with white text that says "The Stage".

    The Stage

    1yr Subscription

  • Play button icon on a blue background

    Act On This

    1yr subscription

  • Vertical arrangement of black square blocks with white capital letters, spelling 'N', 'H', and 'B' from top to bottom.

    Nick Hern Books

    £100 Script Voucher

  • Orange background with the black text 'AKT' in the center.

    AKT

    1yr Subscription & Gift Package

  • Andy Brown Photography logo in black text on a white background.

    Andy Brown Photography

    Full Headshot Session

  • A colorful abstract bird logo next to the word 'Kate' in black text.

    Kate

    Self tape backdrop

  • Black background with distressed white text saying 'True Edge' and a graphic resembling a sharp edge or blade underneath.

    True Edge Combat

    Standard Level Stage Combat Course

  • Red circular graphic with the text "Shakespeare's Globe" in bold red letters on a gray background.

    Becky Paris (Head of Casting at The Globe)

    1-to-1 Lunch/Meeting

  • Green line drawing of two smiling theatrical masks, representing comedy and tragedy.

    Theataccounts

    1yr Accounts & Tax Return

  • London Theatre Direct logo in white text on purple background.

    London Theatre Direct

    £100 theatre ticket voucher

  • A teal background with the words 'think move change' in different colors and sizes, with three colored dots above the words.

    Think Move Change

    Alexander Technique Workshops

  • Black and white logo for Self Tape Co.uk with handwritten style text on strips of tape.

    Self-tape.co.uk

    1 Filmed Monologue Reel

  • Hand-painted text saying 'Just Add Milk' in various shades of blue with some yellow accents on a white background.

    Just Add Milk (JAM)

    £250 JAM Workshops Voucher & £500 Towards Living Costs (Upon Graduating)

  • Logo with pink, black, and white text reading 'The Bespoke Folk' and purple lightning bolt graphics in the background.

    The Bespoke Folk

    1 Full Voicereel

  • Woman sitting on a wooden chair, smiling and laughing, wearing a black top, blue jeans, and black knee-high boots, in front of a textured blue-green wall.

    Faye Timby-Taylor (Casting Associate at Sophie Holland Casting)

    1-to-1 Lunch/Meeting

  • Black overlapping circle and letter design on white background

    Gavin Mills (Agent at Olivia Bell Management)

    1-to-1 Lunch/Meeting

  • Logo for Spotlight Home Financing with the letter 'O' replaced by a colorful, circular graphic.

    Career Development Sessions

    With a member of the Spotlight team

  • Dark blue background with the gold initials CVGG in the center.

    David Lazenby (Agent at Conway Van Gelder Grant))

    1-to-1 Lunch/Meeting

  • Text reading 'CURTIS BROWN' with a red underline on a white background.

    Isabelle Sweetland (Agent at Curtis Brown)

    1-to-1 Lunch/Meeting

Last Year’s Winner

The Luke Westlake Scholarship on BBC

Watch Tamzin’s BBC interview from January 2024 discussing her scholarship win and looking towards her acting future.

You can also read the BBC’s article below.

BBC Article

The Shortlist

Shortlisted Actors

All 2024 scholarship shortlisted actors will be invited to take part in a selection of online sessions and Q&As with leading casting directors and agents this Autumn.

  • Agent session: Oliver Campbell (BWH) & Max Latimer (JAG)

    • Thu 07 Nov - 7-8pm on Zoom 

  • Agent session: Cordelia Keaney & Jill Giffard (Curtis Brown)

    • Tue 19 Nov - 7-8pm on Zoom 

  • Agent session: Ryan Iosco-Holmes & Nadine Charles (The Foundry)

    • Tue 26 Nov - 7-8pm on Zoom 

  • Casting session: Ollie Scullion

    • Wed 20 Nov - 7-8pm on Zoom 

People standing close together in an audience, watching a performance or event in a dimly lit venue.

Bafta

BAFTA Partnership

As part of our partnership with BAFTA, all actors who make the shortlist will automatically be eligible for the prestigious Prince William BAFTA Bursary.

After graduating from their drama school or university, shortlisted actors will be invited to apply for the bursary to support their early career.

Logo of BAFTA with a gold mask of a face and the word 'BAFTA' in black.

2024 Panel

  • Close-up portrait of a man with blue eyes and light brown hair, wearing a grey polo shirt with navy blue accents, against a dark background.

    Thomas Coombes

    Actor (Death of England: Michael)

  • A young woman with dark brown hair, smiling, sitting on a wooden stool against a plain white background. She is wearing a blue and white striped shirt underneath a cream-colored knit vest, with loose blue jeans and beige sneakers.

    Raffaella Covino

    Applause for Thought

  • A black screen with a greenish-blue border and the text 'CAM' in the center.

    Bex Elliff

    Agent at CAM

  • A smiling man with a shaved head and beard wearing a black leather jacket. There is studio lighting in the background.

    Rob Kelly

    Casting Director

  • A young man with light skin, short red hair, and a beard, smiling in a suit and tie, standing in front of a blue and white background with text.

    Liam McLaughlin

    Executive Director of JAM

  • Portrait of a young woman with dark hair, wearing an off-shoulder black top, looking at the camera with a neutral expression against a plain gray background.

    Varada Sethu

    Actor (Andor, Disney+)

  • Woman with long brown hair smiling and sitting in a black armchair, wearing a black top, light blue jeans, and black knee-high boots, against a textured blue wall background.

    Faye Timby-Taylor

    Casting Director

  • Kristian Wall

    Executive Director of JAM

  • A smiling woman wearing glasses and a blue blazer holding a bouquet of flowers, a young man with a beard holding an award, and an older man wearing glasses and a gray jacket standing in front of a backdrop with blue logos and text reading 'The Foundry' and 'Just Add Milk.'

    Bridgette & Lee Westlake

    Parents of Luke Westlake

About Luke Westlake

Now in its sixth year, The Luke Westlake Scholarship is an annual award set up for working class actors (BA) in their 2nd year at Drama School or University in the UK.

The winner receives over £6000 worth of financial and developmental support as they complete their training and graduate.

The scholarship was established in 2019 when we realised that many actors were being priced out of their careers before they even graduated. After spending tens of thousands of pounds on training, actors must then pay for subscriptions, plays, headshots, equipment for self-tapes and other necessities to support themselves - with those from working-class and low-income families losing out due to financial demands of the industry.

The scholarship is named in memory of Luke Westlake, a friend of JAM and a talented actor who trained with them at ArtsEd (2014-17). A diligent, fierce, working-class actor, he represented everything the scholarship stands for and JAM are grateful to be supported his parents, Bridgette and Lee, in keeping the memory of Luke alive.

A young man with shoulder-length brown hair, a light beard, and blue eyes, smiling at the camera.

Luke Westlake

“We are delighted that the scholarship so kindly dedicated by JAM to the memory of our son Luke continues to grow from strength to strength. It is an amazing opportunity and we urge all those eligible to apply.

We look forward to seeing another excellent field of candidates and this year we hope to meet in person to celebrate the fantastic talent that we know will come forward.”

Lee & Bridgette Westlake