PDP Students Work with BAFTA Award-Winning Actress Rakie Ayola
Our Professional Development students recently enjoyed a truly extraordinary opportunity as they worked with BAFTA award-winning actress and producer Rakie Ayola on material from Candide for our upcoming production of Broadway Showtunes 2026.
Not only is Rakie the recipient of a BAFTA Cymru Best Actress Award, BAFTA Cymru Sian Phillips Award, BAFTA TV Best Supporting Actress Award, and BBTA Best Female Performance in a Play Award, but only last year, she played ๐๐จ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฌ๐ก ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ ๐๐ก๐๐๐ญ๐ซ๐.
Her theatre credits cover everything from Shakespeare to Sarah Kane. She recently starred in The Authenticator at the National Theatre and in 2025 played the Mayflower Theatre as Doctor Pangloss in WNO's tour of Candide. Recent tv work includes Falling, Kaos, Grace, The Pact S2 (also as Exec Producer) and Saving Lives In Cardiff. Upcoming, are feature films Black Church Bay and Bad Apples. She is currently filming new series First Day On Earth.
Rakie has received Honorary Fellowships from Aberystwyth University, Trinity Laban School of Music and Dance and Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (where she trained) and an Honorary Doctorate from Warwick University.
She's a Trustee of Welsh National Theatre and Fuel Theatre, an Ambassador for the Anthony Walker Foundation and Black Welsh Music Awards and a Patron of Childhood Tumour Trust, Collage Voices and Praxis Performing Arts.
For our students, the opportunity to work on material from Candide alongside someone who has so recently performed the role professionally was invaluable. These experiences play a key part in our studentsโ training and reflect BIGLITTLE's commitment to providing the best possible preparation, especially for the profession and in connecting students with leading professionals across the industry.
We are incredibly grateful to Rakie for her generosity and expertise in helping to create such an inspiring and memorable experience for our students.
Broadway Showtunes 2026
๐ญ Thursday 16 โ Saturday 18 July 2026
๐ Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre
For more information and tickets, visit:
