MEET THE CHRIS HORNBY SCHOLARS
JAVAI JAMES
Javai's love of musical theatre began in childhood, watching Andrew Lloyd Webber shows with his nan - some of his happiest early memories are the two of them together, lost in the music. That spark followed him into school, where drama club quickly became his favourite place to be. What started as something he simply enjoyed gradually grew into the path he knew he wanted to follow, taking him first to Emil Dale Academy and then on to ArtsEd.
Like so many students training in London, Javai found that the reality of full-time vocational training came with real financial pressure. Balancing the cost of living with the demands of the course was, in his words, "incredibly difficult" throughout his first and second years. He'd known about the Chris Hornby Bursary for some time, and had watched scholars he admired benefit from the opportunities it gave them - so when he was offered support from Tim and the fund, he was ecstatic.
The bursary made a difference in ways both practical and profound. It helped ease the cost of living in London and contributed to essential third-year expenses - Spotlight membership, travel to auditions and meetings, and other professional opportunities. But more than the financial support, it gave Javai the freedom to focus fully on his third-year shows and make the most of everything ArtsEd had to offer.
That focus paid off. Before he'd even graduated, Javai secured his first professional contract, starring in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the Watermill Theatre - beginning his career while still training, and learning enormously from the experienced professionals around him.
That role has since led to another contract, giving him an exciting start to his career and confirming that this is exactly where he wants to be.
Looking ahead, Javai hopes to keep performing while also teaching musical theatre, something he finds equally rewarding.
Further down the line, he'd love to create opportunities for young performers who don't have the financial means to train professionally - just as others did for him. "Support like the Chris Hornby Bursary has shown me how life-changing these opportunities can be," he says, "and I hope to be able to give back in the same way."
For Javai, the bursary meant far more than financial support - it gave him the freedom to focus on his final year, and the confidence to step into the professional industry. Being mentored by Tim, someone with such extensive experience and influence in the profession, was invaluable; his guidance helped Javai see the exciting career waiting beyond training, and gave him the confidence to look forward. Along the way, he also met incredible people through the bursary whose support, advice and connections he continues to value today. "The Chris Hornby Bursary has been a significant part of my journey," Javai reflects, "and I will always be grateful for the opportunities, encouragement, and belief it has given me."
Ria was always a creative child. With both parents professional ballroom dancers, movement was part of life from the very beginning - though her parents never wanted to push her down any specific path. She didn't need pushing; she was dancing and singing in the living room long before she ever set foot in a studio.
At eight, Ria began training in ballet, quickly dancing with the National Youth Ballet and the London Children's Ballet, and later became an associate at Central Ballet School on Saturdays. It was there she realised professional ballet wasn't quite the right fit - but the same school introduced her to other dance styles and to musical theatre, and a new path opened up. She joined ArtsEd Day School, moving from the Actors course to the Dancers course, and then into Musical Theatre in Sixth Form, before progressing onto the degree course.
Ria's third year of training coincided with the aftermath of the pandemic - a period that hit self-employed creatives, including both her parents, hard. Determined to complete her degree at ArtsEd, she applied for the Chris Hornby Bursary. It made all the difference, not just financially, but through the guidance and support Tim has given her - something she describes as "a blessing," especially through the transition from student to working professional.
That transition led straight into an impressive early career. Ria's first job was in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella at the Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester, where she performed in the ensemble and covered the title role. From there, she toured with another Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, The King and I, and is now playing Kiyoko in The Karate Kid: The Musical, touring the UK and soon heading to Toronto with the production. Her credits also include Singin' in the Rain at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Chicago on UK and Ireland tour, and Your Lie in April at the Harold Pinter Theatre - alongside television and concert appearances including Big Night at the Musicals (BBC), the Olivier Awards (ITV), and a Frank and Friends concert at Cadogan Hall.
RIA TANAKA
Looking to the future, Ria wants to keep working consistently across as many varied projects as possible. "I refuse to be put in a box," she says, "and I can't wait to see what's next."
For Ria, the bursary has meant lasting support that continues well beyond her time as a student. "I've felt so supported," she reflects. "Even though I'm not a student anymore, I'm still learning about the industry - having Tim there to help and guide me in those times where I have questions still has meant the world."
ASHER FORTH
Asher grew up in Teesside, where drama and music classes at school first sparked a passion for performing. It didn't take long to realise this was more than a hobby - it was something he wanted to pursue professionally. ArtsEd had always been the dream, but for someone from a low-income background, the costs involved were a huge barrier to getting there.
Asher's early years of training were defined by sheer determination. He worked two jobs alongside his studies, and spent half of his second year sofa surfing after a no-fault eviction left him without a stable home. Balancing that instability with the demands of full-time vocational training would have derailed many people - but Asher kept going, determined not to let his circumstances stand in the way of the career he'd set his sights on.
Through it all, he made it through to his final year of training. It was there that the Chris Hornby Bursary made its mark: removing the added financial pressure that had shadowed his first two years, and giving him the space to focus fully on his craft at exactly the moment it mattered most.
Asher booked Starlight Express in London straight out of training, spending two amazing years as part of the show. He's now about to head out on a UK tour, taking the next step in a career that's already off to a flying start.
Looking back, Asher is deeply grateful for the difference the bursary made. It meant he could study through his third year without the added weight of financial pressure - and it gave him something just as valuable: the guidance of, in his words, "the legend Tim English."
Jacob's love of performing started young - at just five years old, he was putting on shows in his living room, playing Miss Hannigan in his mum's high heels, dressing gown and whistle. His first taste of professional theatre came at ten, watching The Lion King in the West End - the very show Chris Hornby himself would go on to serve as Resident Director for - and that was the moment his love of theatre truly began.
Jacob holds a special place in the story of the bursary: he was the very first Chris Hornby scholar, and we are incredibly proud to have started this journey with him. That first bursary supported him not only financially through his time at ArtsEd, but through Tim's mentorship across all three years of training. Without it, he simply wouldn't have been able to study at ArtsEd and pursue his dreams. Tim, he says, was there every step of the way, supporting and guiding him throughout.
Jacob graduated in 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic - an extremely tough time to be starting out. But with Tim's help, he signed with a great agent and secured his professional debut at the Hackney Empire in Jack and the Beanstalk. Since then, his career has taken him to some beautiful theatres both at home and around the world: two years performing as Frankenstein at Universal Studios Japan, where he also produced his own show, Curtain Up; a role in Aladdin at the Wolverhampton Grand; and, most recently, his first cruise contract with AIDA Cruises - a contract he's already looking forward to returning to as he heads back out onto the seven seas.
Looking ahead, Jacob wants his career to be exciting and diverse - the kind he can look back on and be proud of every job along the way, travelling the world through performance. But more than anything, he wants to make Tim proud, and to know he's done justice to Chris's name - helping ensure that many more young people can follow their dreams, just as he was able to.
JACOB THOMAS
DESHAWN
GORDON
Deshawn had wanted to work in theatre and film for as long as he could remember. But for a long time, he never saw it as a viable career - the volatility of the industry led him to keep it as an extracurricular passion while he followed a more academic path. Then came a turning point: he cancelled his UCAS applications for Biological Sciences, auditioned for ArtsEd on a leap of faith, and got in.
The early years of training weren't easy. Without financial support from home, and living an hour away from ArtsEd, Deshawn found the commute and the cost took a real toll on his training in his first and second years. Determined not to let that affect his final year, he applied for the Chris Hornby Bursary - hoping it might allow him to move closer to the school. It did far more than that, helping shape what became, in his words, "an incredibly positive experience."
That positive final year set the stage for an extraordinary start to his career. Deshawn graduated straight into Come Alive: The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular, taking on the role of Samson - and he's currently at work on an exciting screen project. Looking ahead, he hopes to keep building a career across both theatre and screen, taking on bigger and more challenging roles as he goes.
For Deshawn, the bursary meant a smooth journey through what is arguably the most important year of training. "I would not be where I am now without the support from the bursary," he says, "and I will always be grateful to Tim for choosing me as a recipient."
MARIA CONNEELY
Maria's love of performing began almost as soon as she could walk - literally. Her mum put her into ballet lessons at just two years old, and she kept dancing all the way through to age 18, when she moved on to Urdang for her Foundation year. Singing was there from the start too: as a child she became utterly obsessed with Grease, watching it on repeat and dreaming of being Sandy, and on a family holiday to America at the age of five, she got up on karaoke every night to sing "Hopelessly Devoted" - so young she couldn't yet read the words, with her mum kneeling behind her, whispering them line by line. At ten, playing Annie in her local am-dram group, she began singing lessons with a teacher who, as it turned out, trained her classically - a happy accident that shaped much of her career to come, including roles in Into the Woodsand The Phantom of the Opera.
Drama school is financially demanding, and Maria simply wouldn't have been able to attend without help. When she applied for the Chris Hornby Bursary and met Tim, who told her he wanted to mentor her and introduce her to people across the industry, she couldn't believe her luck. To this day, he remains what her friends and family affectionately call her "Stagey Dad."
Maria's experience of the bursary took an unexpected turn early in her third year, when she badly dislocated her knee - just a week after first meeting Tim. She remembers texting him, half-joking, that "it's funny what a difference a week can make," and Tim was immediately on the phone with a plan, insisting she take an Uber rather than public transport to every physio appointment. His generosity, she says, left her lost for words. Months of recovery and support later, Maria went on to perform in Cats, her third-year show - something she still describes as close to a miracle given the injury. Beyond the practical support, Tim also opened doors to influential people across the industry that she wouldn't otherwise have met.
That network paid off almost immediately: it was Tim who was contacted by David Grindrod asking who Maria's agent was, leading directly to her first professional job, Rapunzel in Into the Woods. Since then, she has spent the last three years touring internationally with The Phantom of the Opera, finishing her contract as Alternate Christine - a role she has now played around 25 times across Europe.
Having just wrapped that three-year tour, Maria is currently enjoying a bit of normality, auditioning and seeing where life takes her next. Sondheim remains close to her heart, and she'd love to take on another of his shows in the future.
For Maria, the impact of the bursary goes far beyond the financial support and connections it provided. "If I hadn't had help with recovery for my injury, the likelihood of me having to defer a year would've been extremely high, and my life would look completely different," she reflects. "If I hadn't graduated when I did, I wouldn't have got Into the Woods - and that show holds an extremely special place in my heart." The constant support and championing from Tim and everyone involved in the bursary, she says, is something you simply can't put a price on.
