Elaine C Smith sets up prize for aspiring female comedy stars

Ten-year scheme to help drama students

Elaine C Smith has established a prize for aspiring female comedy actors in Scotland.

For each of the next years, a final-year drama student at Royal Conservatoire of Scotland will receive a £500 thanks to the Two Doors Down star’s gift.

She said: ‘Making people laugh is such a joyous thing. Comedy touches people and, as the great Joni Mitchell says, laughing and crying, are the same release. There’s a real skill in comedy that’s innate.

Smith studied drama at the conservatoire, when it was the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, graduating in 1978.

She added: ‘In my time, comedy in many ways was seen as lesser. Everyone wanted to do the serious roles. And invariably, what I’ve found in my career is that people who can do comedy well can also do tragedy very well.’

The star said she hopes to empower women in comedy, particularly those from working-class backgrounds like her own.

She said: ‘The prize is me wanting to leave a trail of sweeties, saying to women, "here’s a route, come on". In a time like this, when the creative arts are under attack, it’s a wee bit of money to help them along the way, to buy the books they need or to afford to go and see a few shows.

‘Even though I had a grant, I was working in clubs and bars and waitressing all the way through my studies and living week to week. Hopefully the students – even if they don’t have a clue who I am – will think "well, if she did it, so can I".’

The prize will be open to students across RCS’s BA Acting, BA Performance and BA Musical Theatre degree programmes.