Element Pictures Sponsors The Lir Academy

The Lir Academy at Trinity College Dublin have announced that Element Pictures is their new sponsorship partner.

The partnership will support the joint ambition of both organisations to increase equality of access, diversity and inclusion in training the next generation of actors, and to work towards addressing the lack of representation of persons with disabilities on stage and screen. Primarily, this will be through a bursary, which will be on offer to successful applicants with a disability who require financial assistance in order to take their place on the highly competitive BA in Acting.

This partnership will also support the outreach work of The Lir Academy in developing training programmes and building networks to encourage people with a disability to pursue their ambition for a career as an actor.

Element Pictures and The Lir Academy have forged significant links since the founding of the academy in 2011. Element Pictures shares The Lir Academy’s strategic mission to ensure a broader representation of everyone across the film, TV and theatre sectors. Both organisations recognise that one of the key factors in addressing a lack of representation is through access to education.

Speaking of the announcement, Element Pictures said: "We are huge admirers of The Lir Academy and have had the pleasure of working with some of their excellent graduates, notably Paul Mescal in NORMAL PEOPLE and Alison Oliver in CONVERSATIONS WITH FRIENDS. We hope this bursary will help to bridge the huge gap that exists in terms of providing opportunities for actors with disabilities and in so doing help grow a more inclusive and diverse pool of acting talent for stage and screen."

Loughlin Deegan, The Lir Academy's Director added: "Having the importance of our access agenda recognised by Element Pictures, an Irish leader in the global film and TV industry, is an incredible opportunity for us at The Lir Academy and our students. We are extremely grateful for their acknowledgement of the vital need to nurture young creative people of all abilities and backgrounds. This will help support the arts, culture and entertainment business in its progression to be more open, inclusive and all the richer for the opportunity that this bursary will facilitate."