The British American Drama Academy (BADA) at Oxford University in Oxford, England has produced many Howard University students and alumni, teaching them the depths of Shakespeare.
For acting students, the opportunity to study in Oxford is more than just a summer abroad: it’s three weeks of intensive acting training.
BADA is an international learning community dedicated to contemporary theatre training rooted in classical performance traditions. Jadyn Fife, a junior acting major from Richmond, Virginia, spent this past summer in Oxford studying at BADA’s Midsummer Conservatory Program, which lets students study acting and Shakespeare with industry professionals over three weeks. This is the same program that Howard alumni Chadwick Boseman attended in 1998.
“I was so impressed and grateful to be in a place with such talented artists,” Fife said.
Fife described the experience of performing alongside students from around the world as eye-opening. She worked with other students across the United States, Japan and Canada.
“I thought it would be cool to learn performances from English actors. They’re usually pretty good at playing American roles,” Fife said.
However, attending the program came with financial challenges.
She shared that the program cost $8,600, not including spending money, travel expenses or miscellaneous costs. The program offered her a $500 scholarship.
“The rest of the money was covered by me working like a dog day and night and I was blessed that someone donated the rest of the money so I could study at the program,” Fife said.
According to Fife, because it was a summer program, it wasn’t eligible for Howard Aid.
“As far as credits are concerned, when you do Summer programs, those don’t typically count towards University credits,” Fife said.
Beyond the financial commitment, Fife shared that BADA was more intense than the training she is currently doing at Howard.
“The focus at BADA was dropping every norm that Howard acting told you. It forced you to open your mind to a different way of thinking,” Fife said.
Despite the differences in training, Fife emphasized that one thing Howard does that BADA doesn’t, is teach artists how to succeed as a Black actor.
“BADA gives the teaching of a great actor, yes, but Howard trains you to think of how your personal and cultural differences not only change the narrative but bring authenticity to the work,” Fife said.
Quinn Leak, a senior acting major from Burlington, New Jersey, was in the same cohort as Fife.
Leak became interested in BADA after hearing about the experiences of classmates who had previously attended.For students considering attending BADA, Leak recommends reading as much Shakespeare as they can to prepare for the audition and classes.
They also encourage students to seek guidance and feedback from professors and other resources to strengthen their understanding of Shakespeare and prepare for the audition process.
Kim Bey, a theatre professor at Howard, experienced BADA firsthand.
In 2001 she went to BADA to receive training and learn from a faculty perspective. She shared that former Chair of Theatre Arts Henriette Edmonds initiated and cultivated the partnership with BADA during her time at Howard.
Although she doesn’t know the exact year the partnership began, she recalls it becoming prominent in the late 1990s.
“By the year 2000, every year, there was a group of students who went to BADA,” Bey said.
During her time at BADA, she worked with some of the teachers who were prominent in the acting industry including Fiona Shaw, John Barton and Deborah Warner.
As an educator, Bey said she noticed that students return from the program with discipline, creativity and confidence.
“The greatest gift is that it demystifies this thing of Shakespeare and classical theater. It gives them the license to do work and material that they might not have thought they could conquer,” Bey said.
Copy edited by Sydney Middleton
