Tutor wins rare drama scholarship
Wide-eyed, Ailise Beales wanders around her room, picking up her washing basket, wondering if it’s the kind of thing she will have to take to Manhattan or leave behind.
Wellington-based Beales, 24, who was born in the United Kingdom but has lived in New Zealand for the past 11 years, has been awarded the sole Joan See Memorial Scholarship for 2021 at New York City’s Conservatory for Dramatic Arts, worth more than $100,000.
The scholarship amounts to a fullexpenses-paid two-year scholarship to study acting for film and television at the private college, starting in September, 2021. Beales was awarded it out of thousands of applicants.
‘‘It hasn’t sunk in at all,’’ the acting hopeful said.
‘‘I’m so excited. It really feels like fate or destiny. I’ve always wanted to do this. It was such a shot in the dark that I nearly didn’t go through with this process.’’
Now and then, the reality of the situation hits her – this year’s Christmas will be the last she spends in New Zealand for awhile. She wonders what possessions to bring along with her, or what she can instead purchase overseas.
‘‘It’s silly things like that ... the whole thing feels really strange ... it really hasn’t [sunk in].’’
The scholarship is highly sought after worldwide, with the thousands of applicants being whittled down to 35 auditions. Beales was the sole recipient out of that smaller group.
While she’s currently a tutor at Victoria University of Wellington, she says she’s ‘‘always, for as long as I can remember’’ wanted to be on screen.
The scholarship opportunity came up on StarNow, an online casting agency forum. The listing was open globally, and was titled something along the lines of ‘‘actors seeking an opportunity in New York’’.
As soon as Beales finished studying theatre at Victoria University, she used saved money to pay for a trip to New York City alone; a self-gifted graduation present.
‘‘Everyone told me I was nuts to go by myself,’’ she says. ‘‘I’ve never felt safer or more at home, I went back the following year. I’ve been looking for any excuse to get over there [since].’’
Despite having a gut feeling after her audition that it went well, it wasn’t until she got a phone call while she was in the car with her partner that she prepared herself for the worst.
‘‘I saw that it was an [American] number ... we turned down the radio really quickly. She started to say things like, ‘we had a high calibre of auditions’ ... I took a breath.’’
That was when they offered her the position in the 2021 cohort. Beales was over the moon, but says now her focus
is on saving money to live there for two years. Her visa nor her schedule will let her work while she’s studying.
Richard Omar, president and artistic director of the conservatory, said it was thrilled to award Beales – ‘‘an extraordinary student’’ – a place in its international acting community.
The scholarship offers students who demonstrate exceptional talent the opportunity to fulfil their dramatic arts aspirations through an accredited degree, Omar said.