Nominees announced for 2016 Spotlight Prize

The nominees have been announced for this year's Spotlight Prize. 20 of the UK’s most talented young drama school graduates will compete for the acclaimed Spotlight Prize this July, in front of an exclusive VIP audience of industry professionals.

Nominated by their drama schools, the graduates are given the opportunity to launch their career to an audience of influential industry professionals on 19th July at Bloomsbury Ballroom. For the first time, the Spotlight Prize will include both live performances and pre-recorded screen acting monologues. 

The nominees will perform their monologues in front of a VIP audience of casting directors, agents, producers, directors and actors. The showcase will be directed by Olivier Award nominated director Matthew Dunster.

The nominees will take part in a screen acting workshop with Shimmy Marcus earlier in July. Their final performances will be judged by a panel of leading casting directors for TV and film. Highlights of the screen performances will be shown on Tuesday 19th July as part of the Spotlight Prize evening, and footage from the event will be shared with industry professionals throughout the U.K., Ireland, and the U.S. via Spotlight Casting.

There will be two Spotlight prizes of £2000 awarded on the night, for Best Actor and Best Screen Actor. The awards will be decided by a panel of leading industry experts.

Last year’s winner, Rosalind Eleazar from LAMDA, appeared at the Royal Court Theatre in 2015 and will appear in Channel 4’s upcoming National Treasure, alongside Robbie Coltrane and Julie Walters. Runner-up Edward Bluemel from RWCMD will appear in ITV’s The Halcyon.

This year’s nominated graduates are: Rochelle Hamilton (Academy of Live and Recorded Arts), Molly Earles (Arts Ed London School of Acting), Poppy Pedder (Bristol Old Vic Theatre School), James Duffy (Birmingham School of Acting), Sebastian Carrington-Howell (Drama Centre London), Sophie Greenham (Drama Studio London), Molly Crookes (East 15 Acting School), Ryan Woodcock (Guildford School of Acting), Bessie Carter (Guildhall School of Music and Drama), Aaron Price (Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts), Peter Losasso (LAMDA), Annabelle Terry (LIPA), Stephanie Houtman (Manchester School of Theatre), Melissa Jane Fleming (Mountview), Christopher Royle (Oxford School of Drama), Philippa Quinn (RADA), Layo-Christina Akinlude (Rose Bruford College), Keziah Joseph (Royal Central School of Speech and Drama), Catherine Barr (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) and James MacCallum (RWCMD).