Send Nic Farra to the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon

The highlight of my academic career to date is being accepted into the Masters Programme at the Shakespeare Institute of the University of Birmingham at Stratford-upon-Avon. This is a prestigious and highly rated course from a top one hundred university in the QS world rankings. My course, Shakespeare and Theatre, begins in September 2016 and I'm asking for your support in raising funds to get me there. I believe I am a great ambassador for New Zealand because I have a vision of establishing a Shakespeare-based cultural centre in Christchurch upon my return from the UK. Having been and actor for thirty years, I know the benefits of performing Shakespeare for technique. What I want to achieve is to bring together in one place actors, directors, writers, educators, voice teachers, dancers, movement coaches, linguists, students, musicians and artists. It is my intention that this should be a residency centre, with artists living and working on site. There is currently nowhere in New Zealand that has multidisciplinary approaches to performance and I believe a centre like this would be unique in the world. I aim to create an annual Shakespeare festival in Christchurch with a repertory season of plays, free to the public. The continuing popularity of Shakespeare ensures there will be an audience, and a major cultural event in Christchurch's calendar will stimulate tourism opportunities and add value to the citizens of Christchurch.