Photo: Jimmy Lee Photography

ARDENT8

The ARDENT8 project aims to support emerging young actors from outside London who face barriers to pursuing their careers. Often, the most talented of actors will have given up before they’ve even realised their full potential because they are unable to access other cities that provide greater employment and development opportunities.

The aim is to give them a taste of life as an actor in London to access opportunities within the industry they have otherwise found inaccessible, but which Ardent Theatre Company believe is no more than an equal opportunity. In doing so, they will develop their skills further in a professional context that also introduces them to key industry practitioners.

The programme consists of the following:

12 practical acting workshops led by industry professionals.
1-week professional performance at a London Theatre and short tour
Ongoing advice and mentoring.
All travel, subsistence and accommodation costs paid covered, including the costs of a 1-year National Rail card
All performances treated as professional engagements paid at 5% above Equity minimum rates.
Following the project, each participant is paired with a professional mentor to begin at a point in their career that is most useful. There are 4 mentor meet ups throughout the year to discuss how things are going and to agree practical actions
We also cover the travel for each participant to attend their first professional audition.

THE ENSEMBLE

CLICK PHOTO to view each ensemble | Photos: Jimmy Lee Photography (Ensemble 2, 3 & 4)

WORKSHOPS

The aim of the 12 workshops is to give participants a better understanding of the industry they wish to be a part of. At its heart we aim to build confidence, remove pre-conceived obstacles that they may have as individuals and teach them various techniques to add to their ‘toolbox.’

The workshop programme consists of:

Introductory workshop led by Ardent
Theatre audition technique with casting director
TV/Film audition technique with casting director
Voice workshop with voice coach
Improvisation workshop with director
Industry day (professional headshots, meeting with Equity, session with Ardent)
Classical text workshop with director
Voice over for gaming workshop with director
Movement workshop with movement director
Acting for screen workshop with tutor
A workshop decided by the group (e.g. script writing or theatre producing)
Next steps workshop with actor Mark Rose and an evaluation review of the experience

PRODUCTIONS

FUNDERS

CURRENT FUNDERS
The Boris Karloff Charitable Foundation
Chapman Charitable Trust
Dan's Force Fund
The Foyle Foundation
Hays Travel Foundation
Noël Coward Foundation
Paul Hamlyn Foundation

PREVIOUS FUNDERS
Arts Council England
Cockayne - Grants for the Arts
The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust
The Ernest Cook Trust
The Fenton Arts Trust
The Foyle Foundation
Garrick Charitable Trust
The Grocers Charity
The Leathersellers' Company Charitable Fund
The London Community Foundation
The Mercers' Company
Teale Charitable Trust
The Worshipful Company of Grocers
And the many generous donors via the Big Give Christmas Challenge

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

Trae Walsh

Amirah Alabere

Liv McGrath

Toby Batt

Lewis Allen

Phoebe Woodbridge

Olivia Israel

Yarrow Spillane

PREVIOUS PARTICIPANTS

“I can’t quite put into words how much this project has changed my life and given me that hope I desperately needed leaving university. I feel like my dreams aren’t as intangible as I thought and without this project I would have given up and moved back to Ireland a long time ago. This project is so important and I hope it continues to give other people in my situation the knowledge, skills, and self-belief it has given me.”

“Ardent has given me an opportunity to greatly expand my skills and knowledge within the industry. I am much more confident as a performer now than before we started the programme. Ardent has also allowed me to explore aspects of the industry and enhance my knowledge of things I would otherwise be uneducated in such as acting for screen or voice acting work.”

“This experience will never be lost on me. It is something I never would have dreamed I’d ever get the chance to do and has given me the confidence and the hope that I can actually pursue my passion, in a way I didn’t have before. I have been so lucky to get the chance to work with such a fantastic group of like-minded brilliant people and artists.”

“Without this opportunity I’m not sure that I ever would have believed in myself enough to make it. I struggle to make it through each month being able to pay my bills let alone afford a train up to London to pursue my passions. You finish uni and you work, you survive and that dream seems to become more distant every day as you struggle to find time after each 10 hour shift. This opportunity has brought that dream closer, I can almost touch it. Being a part of this experience still feels totally surreal. I have met a wonderful group of people that I want to know for the rest of my days, learnt so many new skills, gained confidence within the industry I so desperately long to be a part of, and have been given opportunities I would have never had otherwise.”