Thank you so much for taking the time to visit my page.

My name is Alexandra Chaves and I am 20 years of age. I have been offered a place at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), to do a Postgraduate Diploma in Theatre Costume.

From very early on during GCSE Textiles, I had taken a Costume approach when it came to my projects, rather than Fashion, this continued through to A-Level. At both GCSE and A-Level I achieved an A in Textiles.

However, when it came to the University choices, I struggled as I was unable to determine what the best course of action was for me at this stage. As a result of this my portfolio was very weak, as I had applied for both Costume and Fashion Degree’s.

On attending the interviews, a lot of the feedback was the same, in particular with the Costume course interviews. It was suggested that I do a 1 year Foundation Diploma first to build a stable and well developed portfolio, as well as allowing me to determine exactly what I would want to go into. It was also suggested that I apply for the 2 year Foundation Degree at the University of Hertfordshire/ West Herts College.

This was what I chose to do as I felt that I would gain more experience, learn new skills and be able to develop the skills I already had, in particular with Design, Textiles, Pattern Cutting and Garment Construction. This Degree was brilliant as I gained experience within the different fields of the Fashion industry. Therefore, this also allowed me to contact and gain experience with employers within the field of Costume, allowing me to research into and expand my knowledge of the job roles within this field. Examples of experience that I have gained are: working backstage within the wardrobe department of Bill Kenwright’s “Joseph and the Amazing Technicoloured Dreamcoat” and designing and producing costumes for West Herts College Degree production of “Our Country’s Good”.

Obviously the project part of this Degree was Fashion orientated, but during the start of the second year I had confirmed with myself that actually Costume was definitely my passion. Therefore, I applied for the course at RADA because it offered all the elements of training that I would require to build a career within the world of Costume.

I pushed myself in the final semester of the second year, as I was determined to develop a Costume inspired theme although I was on a Fashion course. I developed a concept through contacting Theatre Companies, and in consequence began working on a live project with St Albans Operatic Society on their forthcoming production of “Guys and Dolls”. Throughout this project I liaised with the Wardrobe Mistress of SAOS and she selected the scene and characters that I would be designing for. I collaborated, presented, illustrated and interpreted all the relevant research, and then produced my designs. From the previous projects, in particular the first semester of the second year, I had established that my main skills and abilities were in pattern cutting and garment construction, as I had achieved a First. So I was determined to better myself and continue to develop these skills. As part of this project I even took it upon myself to contact Milliners, and was able to design and produce a Trilby hat with the help of Walter Wright Ltd. I managed to produce an outstanding body of work, and a sophisticated and technical selection of outcomes (see gallery for the final outcomes). I achieved the highest grades seen so far on that degree course, and finished it with a high First.

To conclude, to be accepted into RADA is an exceptional opportunity, as there are only four places offered a year for this particular course. Not only this, but I have been accepted onto a Postgraduate Diploma having only graduated from a Foundation Degree, and so I feel extremely honoured to have been accepted onto this course.

I have already taken out a student loan for my first degree, and so need to come up with alternative funding for this course. I currently have put aside money towards the fees, and am working to save up, as well as trying other sources of funding. Therefore, this is a huge opportunity for me, and any donations great or small will be extremely appreciated.

Thank you for your time and your donations.