Three senior students at the Hinckley Speech & Drama Studio recently became holders of the LAMDA Performance Certificate. This new award has only been available since 2004 and the students of the Principal, Priscilla Morris, were amongst the first 30 people in the country to take it.

The examination had 3 modules and took a year to complete with an in-depth study of a period of English Literature, a 5000 word study book on their final performance and the themed presentation itself, which lasted 20 minutes and included drama, verse and prose.

Deven Modha (18) has studied with Priscilla for 11 years and has reached the highest level in Verse and Prose and Acting from LAMDA (both with honours) and the Gold RADA Shakespeare Certificate. He leaves HSDS to study English at Sussex University and then hopes to train as an actor. He passed his Performance Certificate with Merit.

Kellie White (20) has been at HSDS since she was 6 and also gained 3 Gold Medals before taking her Certificate which she passed with the highest level of Distinction. Kellie has been teaching for Priscilla for the past two years and is now continuing her studies with a degree in Drama and Psychology at Manchester.

Christine Scaife (20) has been teaching Musical Theatre at HSDS for the past year and studying for further qualifications. She had gained her ALAM Recital Diploma and ALCM Musical Theatre Diploma before the new Performers Certificate which she passed with Merit. She is now moving on to her professional level Acting Diploma. She is currently preparing her students for the HSDS annual Open Day at the Concordia Theatre on 29th October.