The 2006 Carleton Hobbs’ bursaries have been awarded to:

BETHAN WALKER (Royal Welsh College)
EMMA NOAKES (Oxford)
JOSEPH KLOSKA (RADA)
PAUL RICHARD BIGGIN (East 15)

They will join the Radio Drama Company on Saturday 22nd July 2006.

Four other finalists are this year's runners-up - and each of them will be cast as a freelance actor in one of our autumn/winter productions:

Jasmine Callan (Drama Centre)
Dan Starkey ( Bristol Old Vic Theatre School)
Steve Edwards (Italia Conti)
James Durham (Birmingham)


Twenty accredited Drama colleges (a total of 80 students) took part this year. Chaired by Radio Drama producer, Toby Swift, the judges comprised Gordon House, Amanda Howard, Paul Copley and Rebecca Wilmshurst. Hearty congratulations to all finalists and especially to Bethan, Emma, Joseph and Paul with whom we look forward to working in the summer.

Special Commendations:

For Best Team Exercise:

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
Also Birmingham School and ALRA.

For outstanding solos:

In the Shakespeare class:

Frances Ashman (Guildhall)

James Durham (Birmingham)

Helen Grady (Oxford)

Joseph Kloska (RADA)

Alix Wilton Regan (Drama Studio London)

In other solo work:

Sarah Jayne Hopkins (Royal Welsh College)

Sarah Raffio (Rose Bruford)

Gabrielle Douglas (Rose Bruford)

Emma Noakes (Oxford School)

Jamie Partridge (Oxford School)

Fiona Button (Webber Douglas)

Sophia Linden (Webber Douglas)

Jason Nwoga (DSL)

Sam Donovan (ALRA)

Chris Pearse (Guildford Conservatoire)

Ellie Paskell (Guildford Conservatoire)

Aine O'Sullivan (Central School of Speech & Drama)

Rebecca Gross (Central School of Speech & Drama)

Rhik Samadder (Drama Centre)

Arsher Ali (East 15)

For excellent prose sight-reading:

for the extract from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Christopher Brandon (LAMDA)

Tim Watson-Mitchell (ALRA)

James Durham (Birmingham)

Paul Richard Biggin (East 15)

for the extract from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Jasmine Callan (Drama Centre)

For the best prepared duologue:

Sarah Jane Hopkins and James Sheppard (Royal Welsh College)

Also commended:

Elliott Woolf and Alice Coulthard (Mountview)

Rachel Elizabeth and Richard James-Neale (Mountview)

Jamie Partridge and Emma Noakes (Oxford School)

James Hayward and Alix Wilton Regan (DSL)

The judges also commended Melanie Bickers (ALRA) for her duologue work.