Central Coast school student Luke Johnston is one of four winners to be selected for a John Bell Scholarship.
Students from across Australia auditioned for the 2023 John Bell Scholarship and Luke was selected from a shortlist of 11, then judged a winner by a panel that included founding Artistic Director John Bell and Artistic Director Peter Evans.
Luke, a Green Point Christian College student, joined Daisy Axon from Mother Teresa Catholic College, Western Australia; Tom Marchant from Girton Grammar School, Bendigo; and Grace Winspear of The Friends School, Hobart to be announced the 2023 John Bell Scholarship winners.
Daisy, Luke, Tom and Grace will join Bell Shakespeare headquarters at Pier 2/3 Walsh Bay in February, for one week of training and mentoring during rehearsals for A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Winning a John Bell Scholarship is a life-changing opportunity for budding performers.
Winners undertake acting masterclasses with Bell Shakespeare artists, observe rehearsals, receive specialist training, see live theatre, and more.
They will also have the opportunity to perform their winning monologue for founding Artistic Director John Bell, Artistic Director Peter Evans, and Bell Shakespeare artists, receiving feedback and mentoring.
All auditioning students will undertake a 15-minute, one-on-one workshop audition where they will work directly with a Bell Shakespeare artist.
To be eligible for a John Bell Scholarship, applicants must be 16 years of age or older by December 2024 and be enrolled in a regional high school full-time in 2024.
“I am honoured and humbled to have been selected for this scholarship,” Luke said.
“It’s really a wonderful opportunity.
“I’m looking forward to sharing a space with one of Australia’s biggest theatre companies and getting a sense of what a professional acting environment looks like.
“I just know that it will be a life-changing experience; I can’t wait.”
Having loved acting for as long as he can remember, Luke has honed his skills in a host of disciplines, including improv, musical theatre and stage acting and writing.
“I have loved acting for as long as I can remember, starting with simple school plays (starring as one of the puppy-dogs in the background),” he said.
“Then, with the help of several group acting classes, I slowly worked my way up to bigger and more polished productions.
“The thing about acting that I love so much is the surrender in losing yourself inside of a character and the interaction that characters can have with the audience.
“There’s something magical about an ensemble of people on stage who can tell a story so well that people sitting in the audience not only start to believe them, but care for them and want to see what happens next.
“It’s such a bizarre phenomenon, but all the while it’s beautiful and terribly addictive.”
Luke’s audition came about after The Art House approached his school about drama workshops and JBS auditions coming to the venue.
“I heard about the audition from my drama teacher,” he said.
“She’s so wonderful and is always looking out for opportunities for her students.
“I told her I was interested, applied last-minute, and two days later I was auditioning.”
The Art House Executive Director Anne-Marie Heath said her team was thrilled to learn a local auditionee had been named a 2023 JBS recipient.
“One of our core objectives within our education portfolio is to provide opportunities for Central Coast students to engage with the arts as patrons, but also as artists,” she said.
“Pathway programs like the JBS are incredibly important, which is why The Art House brought the auditions to our region.
“We had students audition from a handful of local high schools, the local home schoolers network and even had students travel from the Hunter to participate.
“We are proud to have been able to facilitate this opportunity for Luke and wish him all the best with his time at Bell HQ.”
Bell will return to The Art House with A Midsummer Night’s Dream this June, along with the 2024 JBS auditions, with dates to be announced later this year.