Chika Ikogwe – Rose Byrne Scholarship Report 1

ATYP ROSE BYRNE SCHOLARSHIP REPORT
30/09/2020

WHAT. A. YEAR.

Cool, just had to get that off my chest.

When I initially applied for the Rose Byrne Scholarship, the world was in an incredibly different situation. COVID was starting to knock on the door like “Hey y’all, see you real soon ;)” and then gradually, she became President of the entire world (maybe except for NZ). WILD.

The first part of my plan was to provide heavily subsidised, if not free, acting, singing and dancing classes for Bla(c)k people and People of Colour. The second part was to provide free tickets to a number of people to go and see shows. Both of these were mainly due to the lack of accessibility that currently exists in the industry.

While this year has been pretty devastating in a myriad of ways and has immensely slowed things down, it’s also given me time to really think about what I’m delivering and how I’m delivering it. I’ve slowed down and had time to think about many aspects of my plans. Brainstorming, engaging with community to see what they want, researching the industry as it stands to see what already exists and where the holes are etc. Also I initially planned to make my classes available to only young people up to the age of 25, but I now think it’d be great to also support people over that age. People who may have had dreams to become an Actor but due to various barriers weren’t able to. So that’s pretty exciting!

I’m learning and growing a LOT through this process. I’m super excited to see what the future holds and to help as many people as I can.

Stay tuned & stay safe!

Big Love,
Chika