End of year prize winners announced for Acting and Production Arts

As our 2023/24 academic year draws to a close, Guildhall School is proud to announce the winners of the School’s most prestigious annual award, the Gold Medal, in Acting and Production Arts, as well as the recipient of the Hazel Sharples Memorial Prize for 2024.

The winner of the 2024 Acting Gold Medal is Romaya Weaver, who has just completed the BA in Acting. The award is given to the student who, in the opinion of the Acting staff, has most embraced the spirit and ethos of the training.

During her time at Guildhall, Romaya has played Bertha/Ensemble in Jane Eyre (dir Victoria Moseley), Egeon/Officer in The Comedy of Errors (dir Paul Foster), Nya in Pipeline (dir Breman Rajkumar) and Trish in Days of Significance (dir Monique Touko). She also wrote, directed and starred in On & On as her Self-Led Performance project.

On being awarded the Gold Medal, Romaya said: “I am honoured and grateful to receive the Gold Medal for Acting. I can truly say that my time at Guildhall has been one of the best experiences of my life. It has made me grow and flourish in so many ways. A huge thank you to the wonderful tutors and directors I’ve worked with. I feel I have exceeded the expectations I had of myself and pushed myself to the full limit with their support and belief. It goes without saying how appreciative and thankful I am to my gifted year for being such an amazing, encouraging and bold ensemble, and for the lifelong friendships I’ve made. I learned so much about what is means to be part of an ensemble and how you can truly fly with generosity and support. It has been a beautiful and challenging journey I will never forget. Here’s to this next chapter, I look forward to seeing our Guildhall cohort on the red carpet!”

The Production Arts Gold Medal was awarded to Katie Ranson who has just completed the BA in Production Arts (Design Realisation pathway). The award is given to a student who, in the opinion of the Production Arts staff, has consistently surpassed all expectations in whatever role they have undertaken, demonstrating exceptional interpersonal skills and making a significant contribution to the department.

In her final year Katie has been Production Manager for Much Ado About Nothing and Salome: Total Immersion, and Scenic Carpenter for the Autumn Double Bill of Respighi operas Maria egiziaca and La bella dormente nel bosco. 

On receiving the Production Arts Gold Medal, Katie said: “It was an honour and surprise to be awarded this Gold Medal; whilst this is a reflection of my personal work this would never have been possible without the inspiring support of my tutors and the tireless dedication of my peers. I have loved every moment of Guildhall, it exceeded all of my expectations and I will be proud to represent Guildhall as an alumna – starting in my new role with Set Up Scenery. Finally, I would like to thank everyone who has seen me through my academic journey, without whom I wouldn’t be here.”

The Hazel Sharples Memorial Prize for 2024 was awarded to Josie Ireland who has just completed the BA in Production Arts (Theatre Technology pathway). 

The prize was set up in 1999 by friends and colleagues of Hazel Sharples, a Stage Manager and Arts Officer who passed away suddenly in 1995. During her career Hazel worked for the Royal Opera House and the National Theatre, chaired the Board of the Warehouse Theatre, Croydon and was a local government Arts Officer for several Boroughs.

The prize is awarded to an outstanding Guildhall School third-year Production Arts student and is unique amongst the School’s student prizes in that the winner is voted for by their peers. The Hazel Sharples Memorial Prize is generously supported by Vivienne Littlechild, former Chair of the Guildhall’s Board of Governors.

On receiving the Hazel Sharples Memorial Prize, Josie said: “I'm so honoured to have won this prize dedicated to such an incredible woman. I've been fortunate to work on a number of great productions at Guildhall, made amazing by the students and staff behind them. It means a lot that this same student cohort voted for this award.

“The work I'm most proud of is my research on safe spaces and accessibility. I helped introduce a decompression room in Guildhall School's Milton Court building, while my Graduation Project showcased how important Universal Design principles are to lighting and production management. I'm excited to continue this work in the industry.”

Find out more about studying Production Arts or Acting at Guildhall School. 

Image credits:
Top - Romaya Weaver (Acting Gold Medal winner) in Days of Significance (c) David Monteith-Hodge
Middle - Katie Ranson (Production Arts Gold Medal winner)
Bottom - Professor Andy Lavender (Vice-Principal & Director of Production Arts), Josie Ireland (Hazel Sharples Memorial Prize winner), Jason Barnes (Hazel Sharples Prize External Supports Coordinator) and Professor Jonathan Vaughan (Principal) (c) Mark Allen