Leaders and professionals from across the creative arts and higher education sectors yesterday attended the installation ceremony of award-winning stage and screen actor Ray Fearon as the new President of Rose Bruford College, the leading London specialist arts and entertainment production higher education institution.
As President of Rose Bruford College, Ray Fearon will play an ambassadorial and ceremonial role to represent the College nationally and globally and will champion careers in the creative arts to inspire the next generation of talent.
As part of the ceremony at the Parish Church of Holy Trinity, Lamorbey, Rose Bruford College awarded an Honorary Fellowship to Mo Gilligan, the triple BAFTA-winning mega star for his significant contribution to the creative industries.
The ceremony is historic in terms of representation, where uniquely a UK higher education institution is installing a Black President and honorary fellow alongside a Black Principal being in post.
President of Rose Bruford College, Ray Fearon, said:
“My love of acting started from a young age. As an aspiring actor, I toured London with a youth theatre company, before going on to study drama and then performing arts at Rose Bruford College. I know from personal experience the value and importance of having a role model and mentor who understands your journey, your aspirations and your dreams. I’m delighted to be installed as President at Rose Bruford College and I’m looking forward to championing the next generation of students as they progress through their education and on to careers in this, the most rewarding industry of the arts.”
Award-winning Mo Gilligan said:
“I have always been passionate about making the arts both reflective of our community and accessible to all. I am absolutely honoured to receive the Fellowship from Rose Bruford College and I’m really touched that my work has resonated with such an outstanding institution.”
Ceremonial robe and mace
The President of Rose Bruford College’s robe is the official symbol of office, following the long tradition of King’s Counsel style robes for senior academic officers. This is the inaugural year for the inclusion of the Rose Bruford College Ceremonial Mace in the ceremony, a highly ornamented staff which symbolises authority, which was designed and crafted by Alistair Angus, a Rose Bruford College graduate of Scenic Arts 2024.
Professor Randall Whittaker, Principal and CEO at Rose Bruford College, commented:
“We are delighted to welcome Ray Fearon as our new President of the College and to award Mo Gilligan with an Honorary Fellowship. Both Londoners themselves and with stellar international careers, we know their successes will inspire our students towards new heights of achievement and innovation.“I’m proud to lead a higher education institution that is dedicated to inspiring the next generation of arts students and graduates from diverse backgrounds by representing Black Excellence in senior roles at our College. The creative industries are at their best where representation is intentional. Representation at senior levels can be a catalyst for change across the wider industry. Today’s ceremony reaffirms our beliefs in the transformative power of education and nurturing a vibrant, inclusive community that encourages us all to be bold and embrace adventure.”
About Ray Fearon
He is an award-winning British actor, born and raised in London and well known for his appearances on stage and screen. After studying drama at Rose Bruford College, Ray went on to make his reputation as a stage actor, working at a large number of theatres across Britain. He has worked extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company in their Stratford and London theatres and on tour. He was the first black actor to play the title role in Othello in the main Royal Shakespeare theatre (director Michael Attenborough, 1999).
Ray’s diverse on-screen acting credits include films Barbie, Beauty and the Beast, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and Hamlet, and his wide-ranging TV roles include His Dark Materials, Fleabag, Da Vinci’s Demons and Coronation Street. He is also an Associate Artist at the Royal Shakespeare Company.
About Mo Gilligan
Triple BAFTA winner Mo Gilligan is one of the UK’s biggest comedy stars with an online reach running into multiple millions. Named ‘The Funniest Man in Britain’ by The Times, Mo’s debut stand up tour was a total sell out, which included a huge two week residency in London’s West End. The show was recorded as his debut Netflix Original Momentum, which enjoyed global release in 190 countries. In 2021, he went back on tour with There’s Mo to Life which achieved another total sell out run, which included a remarkable 10 dates at the Hammersmith Eventim Apollo and a history making O2 Arena show. In 2022 he released his second highly anticipated Netflix special of the smash hit live show to great critical acclaim.
The multi award-winning entertainment format The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan (C4) saw him win his first BAFTA for Best Entertainment Performance in 2020, swiftly followed by his second for Best Comedy Entertainment Programme in 2022. Mo is also a long-standing judge on The Masked Singer (ITV).
2024 kicked off with the release of his debut film lead in animated feature 10 Lives, which made its US premiere at the internationally renowned Sundance Film Festival achieving great critical acclaim. Mo has also embarked on his biggest project to date heading out on his sold out In the Moment World Tour travelling across the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Ireland, Finland, Netherlands, France, Belgium and the UK, with additional dates added due to phenomenal demand.
Mo will also return to the O2 Arena for his final homecoming show in May 2025.
Notes for editors:
For media enquiries or interview requests please contact Leila on [email protected] / 07747 464430.
About Rose Bruford College
Rose Bruford College is a leading specialist London higher education institution providing undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in entertainment arts and production.
Established in 1950 by three visionary women – Rose Bruford, Edith Scorer, and Mary Henniker-Heaton – with a shared commitment to pushing boundaries and reshaping the landscape of artistic expression, today the College remains at the forefront of shaping tomorrow’s artistic expression and the performing arts sector’s positive impact on global society.
Rose Bruford College provides award-winning, innovative teaching and learning and delivers critically-informed, multidisciplinary research that has real-world impact on the performing arts in the UK and beyond.