The Norman Beaton Fellowship (NBF) is a flagship diversity initiative now approaching its third year run by Radio Drama as a key part of the department's (((soundstart))) actor talent events. Its aim is to broaden the range of actors available to Radio Drama producers across the UK by encouraging applicants from non-traditional training backgrounds. To that end, it complements the Carleton Hobbs Bursary Award scheme that we've been running with the accredited UK-wide Drama Colleges for more than fifty years. Two NBF winners each receive fixed term bursary contracts with the Radio Drama Company, and four runners-up receive single freelance engagements in Radio Drama productions.

We are particularly keen to find actors currently under-represented in Radio Drama casting to join the Radio Drama Company, and welcome interest from disabled actors and those from Black and ethnic minority backgrounds.

NBF 05 aims to create a consortium of theatres across the UK through which to find the first round of actors for this initiative. Theatres around the United Kingdom have been invited to join us in this pilot year. For this to work, each theatre will have a BBC Radio mentor linked to them. We hope this will be the beginning of a long and fruitful union, enabling us to cross fertilise between stage and radio in the discovery of new talent. Together we will work towards uncovering a richly diverse range of acting talent new to Radio..

There will be no open NBF workshops in the UK in 2005. Actors participating in NBF will be nominated for the first round of auditions by participating theatres. These auditions will be held in the theatres.

For the NBF 05 award, two actors will be given fixed term contracts with the RDC and four will be promised at least one freelance engagement with Radio Drama.

Schedule:

18 March 05: NBF Semi-Final in London

13 April 05: NBF Final in London

from Summer 05 NBF winners take up RDC contracts

Links:

Participating Theatres

Who was Norman Beaton?

Rules and Regulations

What is Radio Drama?

For advice on getting work as an actor on radio outside of the NBF click here