Second debut: Talented Cork actress fundraising to allow her take up offer to attend Rada

Forced to scrap a previous attempt to go to the prestigious stage school, Rachel O'Connell is determined to get there this time

Rachel O'Connell from Mayfield in Cork was accepted into the prestigeous Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) stage school in London. Picture: Howard Crowdy

Being accepted to one of the world’s most prestigious acting schools where greats like Anthony Hopkins and Fiona Shaw honed their craft was the realisation of an “impossible” childhood dream for Cork woman Rachel O’Connell.

But the crippling €81,000 costs of studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and living in London for three years are now threatening her dreams of studying there.

Ms O’Connell, who has appeared in productions on stage and screen including The Young Offenders and Sunbeam Girls, lost all her work through the pandemic, making the sudden move to London even more difficult financially.

Rachel O'Connell on stage at Cork Opera House with Joy Buckle during rehearsals for 'Sunbeam Girls' by Marion Wyatt in 2007. Rachel is now trying to fund her move to London where she has won a place at Rada. Picture: Michael MacSweeney/Provision

When her application for a credit union loan failed, she was forced to set up a Gofundme page this week “as a last resort”, just days before her move to London.

And high costs and low wages are filtering thousands of other talented working class people out of the arts to the detriment of the industry and society, she said: 

Acting has become so elitist. I know so many very talented people who are leaving the country or leaving the industry because there’s such limited support here. Even when you’re working you can be earning less than minimum wage. This has to change. 

"We need to have better supports not just for actors but for all creative industries. We’re going to miss out on so much great talent otherwise.” 

Ms O’Connell, now 36, dreamed of studying at RADA since she was 15. But, coming from a working class background, she "knew her parents could never have afforded it," and she lacked the confidence to apply.

In her mid-20s, she eventually gathered the courage to apply, but her father fell ill with cancer and sadly later died and Ms O’Connell shelved her Rada dreams.

But this year, she was pushed to apply after the pandemic stopped all her work and severely challenged her mental health. After four gruelling auditions, she was chosen as the only Irish person out of some 5,000 international applicants to attend the world-famous college this academic year. 

"The 15-year-old inside me is still celebrating that I’ve gotten into RADA,” she said.

Being offered a place at RADA at 36 has taught me, we are never too old to chase the dreams of our youth. I’m a working-class actor so getting to train at one of the big London colleges always felt like a pipe dream.

“It really took a pandemic, for me to lose all my work and go lower than I’ve ever been before to actually decide I needed to just apply.

Rachel hopes to follow in the footsteps of fellow Corkonian and Rada graduate Fiona Shaw whose remarkable CV includes roles in 'The Butcher Boy' by Neil Jordan, five of the 'Harry Potter' movies, and hit TV series 'Killing Eve' in which she stars as Carolyn Martens. Picture: Nick Wall/BBC

“I remember being down to €60 some week in November and needing to pay some bill but instead I paid the €53 application fee for RADA on a whim and decided ‘erra the bill could wait til next week, if I don’t do this now I never will’.

“But this incredible training comes with a large price tag and after losing my dad eight years ago to cancer, myself and my mum Joanie have no way to fund this.

“We’ve been racking our brains to try and come up with the money but to no avail. Rada fees will work out at €32,500 for the three years, and the college estimates that to live in London will cost a student €16,600 each year. In total, this works out at €81,000.

Rachel O'Connell at home in Mayfield in Cork City with her mother Joanie and Aoife Nolan prior to her departure for a three-year course at Rada in London. Picture: Howard Crowdy

“One thing I’ve managed to get is a €3,000 grant this year which I am beyond grateful for but that still leaves me with €78,000 to come up with.

“I hate asking for help, especially when it comes to money and especially during such difficult times like this last year and a half, but I really don’t know what else to do.” 

Being accepted into Rada has also been “healing” like coming full circle since her father’s tragic death, she said.

He was a taxi driver and if he was still here he’d be bending everyone’s ear about me getting into RADA. He’d have been so proud. And he’d have made sure I could go. He’d have been rapping on every politician’s door about it.

“It’s an emotional time. When RADA rang to say ‘congratulations, we’d love to have you join us’ I started laughing and crying. It was the best news I ever got. It’s been this light at the end of a very dark tunnel. I haven’t felt that joy in a long time.” 

• Donations are being accepted now on Rachel's Gofundme page.