Honorary Fellowships announced for Central's Graduation Ceremony

Carrie Fisher, Bette Bourne, Joseph Seelig and Helen Lannaghan will be recipients of 2011 Honorary Fellowships at London’s Central School of Speech & Drama (Central). They will join the President, Michael Grandage, CBE, Principal Gavin Henderson, CBE, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of London Professor Geoffrey Crossick, governors, senior team and academic staff of the school for a ceremony at 2.30pm on Monday 12^th December at London’s Royal Festival Hall.

Each year Central seeks to honour people from across the performing arts by awarding a small number of Fellowships. Nominations are sought from throughout the School including staff and students. It is seen as a part of a process of engaging and bringing people closer to the life of the School.

At the graduation ceremony the recipients will be proposed (i.e. introduced) by a friend, colleague or family member. The ceremony will include music by Stephen Montague Called intrada 1631, composed in Principal Gavin Henderson’s honour, and has previously been commercially recorded by the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Carrie Fisher has been a compelling force in the film industry since her feature film debut opposite Warren Beatty in the 1975 hit Shampoo. The daughter of Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, she became a cultural icon when she played Princes Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy. Her star-studded career includes roles in films such as The Blues Brothers, The ‘Burbs, Austin Powers, Garbo Talks, Hannah and Her Sisters, The Man with One Red Show, and When Harry Met Sally.

In 1987, Fisher’s book, Postcards from the Edge, leapt onto the New York Times’ bestseller list. Four more bestsellers have followed: Delusions of Grandma, Surrender the Pink, The Best Awful, and Wishful Drinking. In her show of Wishful Drinking she says that her parents sent her to London to get a “proper education” at Central and that these were some of the happiest years of her life. Fisher turned Postcards from the Edge into a screenplay for the hit film starring Shirley MacLaine and Meryl Streep, and is currently adapting The Best Awful for Lifetime and Sony Television. Her television credits range all the way from Laverne and Shirley to Sex and the City, with an Emmy nomination for her appearance on the popular NBC comedy, 30 Rock. An alumna who didn’t graduate due to her career having taken off mid-studies, this award recognises her distinguished lifelong performing and writing career. She is also a Central Vice-President.

She will be proposed by her mother, star of stage and screen, Debbie Reynolds.

Bette Bourne, born Peter Bourne, is an actor, drag queen and equal rights activist. He studied at Central School of Speech & Drama and went on to act on stage and on television throughout the 1960s. He appeared in TV series’ such as The Avengers and The Prisoner, and in 1969, he appeared alongside Sir Ian McKellen in a touring double bill of Christopher Marlowe’s Edward II and Shakespeare’s Richard II.

In the 1970s he became an activist with the Gay Liberation Front, during which time he started wearing drag and changed his name to ‘Bette’. In 1976 he joined the New York-based cabaret group, the Hot Peaches, performing with them in Europe, culminating in a show at London’s ICA. When the group returned to New York Bourne formed his own troupe, Bloolips. Featuring songs such as Let’s Scream out Tits Off, the shows were mostly written by playwright John Taylor with titles like Lust in Space and The Ugly Duckling. He toured the UK and the rest of Europe throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, winning an Obie Award for the New York production of Lust in Space.

In 1999, Bourne played his friend, Quentin Crisp, in Tim Fountain’s play, Resident Alien, at the Bush Theatre in London and on tour around the world, including New York and Sydney.

Bette will be proposed by writer and broadcaster Mark Ravenhill, with whom he is currently collaborating.

Joseph Seelig is the founder/co-director of the annual season of contemporary visual theatre, the London International Mime Festival (LIMF), about to celebrate its 35^th birthday. He has worked as a venue manager, artists' agent, opera producer, and performance tour promoter. He is chairman of the BE (Birmingham European) Festival and a co-founder/non-executive director of UK regional theatre operator HQ Theatres. He has been a member of various arts advisory panels and juries including those of the Arts Council, Total Theatre and Jeunes Talents Cirque. He is a recipient of the International Theatre Institute Award for Excellence and in 2008 was appointed Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Republic.

Helen Lannaghan, since 1986, has been a co-director of the London International Mime Festival. Initially working at The Place Theatre, she left in 1984 to establish a graphic design studio for theatre and dance companies after which she was invited by Joseph Seelig to join him at the LIMF. Helen has also worked as a producer/manager with a variety of arts organisations, including the London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT) from 1993-2007 and she is currently an Associate Producer for the London 2012 Festival. She is a recipient of the International Theatre Institute Award for Excellence and was appointed a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French Republic in 2010.

The work Helen and Joseph present is experimental and design-based, featuring edgy, devised elements – very much in keeping with the Central ethos. They are being honoured for their lifetime achievements.

Joseph Seelig and Helen Lannaghan will be proposed by William Burdett-Coutts.

Previous Fellowship recipients include Jo Brand, Declan Donnellan, Michael Grandage, Jude Kelly, Catherine Tate and Dame Helen Mirren.

Further details about the graduation ceremony.