Mani Lad with Hiran Abeysekera | Photo: Andrew Buckle / Royal Victoria Hall Foundation
Rose Bruford College Acting BA (Hons) student Mani Lad has been named one of the winners of the 2025 Lilian Baylis Awards.
The awards were presented at The Old Vic by Olivier Award-winning actor Hiran Abeysekera (Life of Pi, The Father and the Assassin). Given annually to outstanding second-year drama students, the Lilian Baylis Awards aim to support recipients financially as they enter their final year of training. Each awardee is nominated by their respective drama school.
Previous recipients from Rose Bruford College have included Shannon Cockle, Harry Simkins and Akshita Brahma.
Mani said: “I’m so grateful to the Royal Victoria Hall Foundation for continuing this brilliant award and to Rose Bruford for putting me forward for it. Schemes like this enable those of us from difficult circumstances to keep developing our unique voices, despite financial pressure almost demanding that we stop. I couldn’t be more thankful.”
The awards are given by the Royal Victoria Hall Foundation in memory of Lilian Baylis (1874–1937), a trailblazing theatre producer and manager. The Old Vic Theatre was led by Baylis from 1912 until her death. She was renowned for her commitment to accessible, high-quality productions, particularly of Shakespeare. Her legacy includes the transformation of The Old Vic into a national institution and the founding of what would later become the English National Opera, the Royal Ballet School, and the Birmingham Royal Ballet.
In addition to funding the Lilian Baylis Awards, the Foundation pursues two major aims: to assist professional productions in financial need and to introduce high-quality live performance to groups who are not traditional or regular theatregoers.