Open Door have today unveiled the latest graduating actors selected to be part of Open Door Elevate, an initiative now in its fourth year, designed to help emerging talent from lower-income backgrounds as they enter the professional industry.
The individuals this year were put forward by some of the UK’s top Drama Schools and the selected seven actors were chosen by a leading industry panel made up of Open Door actor and founder David Mumeni, Shaheen Baig (Casting Director), Amy Ball (Casting Director), Claire Maroussas (Independent Talent) and Kate Morrison (B-Side).
The actors selected for the 2023/2024 Elevate Group are: Roman Asde (LAMDA), Sophie Cox (Guildhall School of Music and Drama), Rafe Slade (Italia Conti), Joseph Stanley (Bristol Old Vic Drama School), Kate Wilson (Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama) and Bethany Wooding (Guildhall School of Music and Drama).
Open Door said today “We’re so excited to be working this group of exiting actors on our Elevate programme. After the success of last years graduates, never has it been more important to mentor new talent entering the industry.”
Previous Elevate participant Eva Morgan, will take on the lead role in upcoming Channel 4 series The Gathering and Ava Hinds-Jones is the current lead in Gen-Z for Channel 4.
Open Door was launched by actor David Mumeni in 2017 to help provide budding actors and behind-the-scenes creatives from low income households with the opportunity to enter the industry. The organisation counts Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, Riz Ahmed and David Morrissey among its supporters and in December, was awarded the Special Jury Prize at the British Independent Film Awards. Its participants are already making waves in the industry, with graduate Jerome Lance featuring in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds, Dionne Brown currently appearing as a series regular in Criminal Record for Apple TV alongside Cush Jumbo and Peter Capaldi, and taking on the title role in hotly anticipated Channel 4 series Queenie. Along with this Open Door are proud to have multiple participants landing roles at the National Theatre, Regents Park Open Air Theatre and at The Old Vic.
As factors such as the cost-of-living crisis and ongoing barriers to the industry continue to disproportionately impact on those from lower-income backgrounds, Open Door once again supports emerging talent preparing to graduate from Drama School who had not previously been involved with the organisation.
Open Door Elevate launched in 2022, with each Drama School in the Federation of Drama Schools invited to nominate two candidates who met the criteria of being a final year student on their respective B.A. Acting Course and who come from a household with a combined income of £33,000 per year or under.
The actors supported by Open Door Elevate will merge with those participating in the Open Door Graduating Group programme, which offers support to actors already part of Open Door as they prepare to transition from Drama School into the professional industry. The actors selected for Open Door Elevate will receive the same opportunities, enhancing the support they may receive at their drama school. Actors will participate in Q&As and workshops, with the recent programme including a workshop delivered by The Donmar Warehouse Artistic Director Michael Longhurst, audition workshops with the National & RSC, and Q&As with leading talent agencies including Independent Talent, United Agents, ARG, Emptage Hallet, Conway Van Gelder Grant, 42 Management and Curtis Brown.
For further information please visit opendoor.org.uk.
