LAMDA Gold for four Sixth Form students at Princethorpe College
Four Sixth Form pupils from Princethorpe College in Rugby have passed their LAMDA Grade 8 examinations with flying colours, achieving Gold Medals – the highest distinction awarded by the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA).
Olivia, Ciaran, Ishbel and Elsie took their Grade 8 Gold Medal examinations back in November and will have worked for years to reach this stage.
Princethorpe College was opened in 1966, becoming fully co-educational in 1995. Soon after Princethorpe partnered with Junior school St Joseph’s (now Crackley Hall School) and what is known today as the Princethorpe Foundation was formed.
The partnership also includes Crescent School and the Little Crackers Nursery.
Alongside the LAMDA Gold Medal, the quartet’s brilliant achievement can support their prospects for higher education, as it’s accrued them 30 UCAS point towards their university applications.
Olivia, Ciaran, Ishbel and Elsie all flourished in their own respective areas of the arts.
Olivia’s Grade 8 examination was for Speaking in Public, which required her to develop and present two speeches. Olivia explored the pros and cons of electoral reform in her first and her second was an impromptu challenge for which she chose to deliver an imagined ‘Best Woman’ speech for her brother’s wedding. The latter required Olivia to present off of just 15 minutes preparation time.
Ciaran was assessed on Reading for Performance, impressing the examiners with his confidence and mature understanding of texts as he created a recital on the theme of Democracy. Ciaran used texts from ‘The Hand that Signed the Paper’ by Dylan Thomas, ‘Henry V’ by William Shakespeare and ‘1984’ by George Orwell. Ciaran was also required to write introductions and linking statements to his chosen texts, as well as offer in-depth answers to questions on the writers and contexts.
Ishbel and Elsie worked towards Grade 8 in Acting Duologue, with the pair having worked together on their LAMDA journey for several years. They earned the Gold Medal after displays of ‘clear energy’ and ‘strong presence’ to the examiners. Ishbel and Elsie performed scenes from ‘Antigone’ by Sophocles, ‘The Odd Couple’ (Female Version) by Neil Simon and ‘The Thrill of Love’ by Amanda Whittington. The duo finished their exam with a discussion on their chosen theatre practitioner, Constantin Stanislavski.
Princethorpe College’s Lead LAMDA teacher, Kathy Buckingham-Underhill, highlighted the ‘diligence’ and ‘ownership’ that the students have shown throughout:
“I am delighted to see these four young people completing their LAMDA studies on such a high. Congratulations to them all.
“Their hard work, diligence, ownership and understanding of the tasks involved has been amply rewarded. Their LAMDA teachers are proud of them all.”
Well done to Olivia, Ciaran, Ishbel and Elsie on their achievement, their commitment to the LAMDA journey has been rewarded with an exceptional grade.