Bethany Burgoyne

Bethany’s application for a Moreau scholarship was prompted by her belief that friendship should never be neglected. She’s built up a broad network of friends during her time at Brandeston and the College and maintaining those friendships is very important to her. The school has been a second home to her, and her friends and teachers an extended family. She finds people endlessly interesting and enjoys getting to know them and hearing about their experiences and opinions. It’s this that has helped her to build up her knowledge and understanding of people’s motivations, and spurred her imagination, influencing both her art and theatre studies.

In her final year, Bethany was Deputy Head of House, Head of School Choir and Head of House Music and Dance – all positions that she’s taken very seriously, though she’s quick to emphasise that fun’s important to, saying, “I’d like to proudly add that Victoria won House singing and House Dancing this year! I’ve often been described as a bit of a slave driver, but hopefully only in a good way”. It’s been finding the right balance that has helped Bethany to succeed. She says, “As a school prefect and Deputy Head of House I developed the ability to take responsibility, empathise with others and work autonomously when necessary. But I’m also a very sociable person so I use this to my advantage to meet more people and learn about their lives which, I believe, has helped to broaden my views and ideas”.

She recently completed her gold Duke of Edinburgh award, which she says was a character-building experience, making her more self-motivated and self-disciplined, both of them qualities that are essential in the theatre when producing and participating in a production. She’s also been heavily involved in the Combined Cadet Force as an NCO in the RAF.

One way or another, music and drama are the driving force in Bethany’s world. She’s achieved distinction in Grade 8 singing, for example, and been involved in many school productions, including the role of Liz Morden in Our Country’s Good, and a challenging role in a production of Psychosis 4.48, which resulted in her winning the Theatre Studies prize in 2008. Not content with that, she’s also a promising ballet and jazz dancer.

Her post-Fram plan is to study drama at Goldsmith’s next year, driven by her passion for, and interest in, the stage and performing arts. She believes that drama has an important role to play in raising public awareness of current issues, and encouraging political debate. But she once again tempers this by saying that she also sees it as a brilliant way of bringing people together for an enjoyable and fun time. She says she even has an eccentric idea of creating an OF drama society!