After landing a coveted spot at the world-renowned Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, 2020 Copley High School graduate Jovani Ibrahim is doing everything in his power to get there.
The 23-year-old son of Egyptian immigrants, who was born in Parma and spent his school-age years living in Fairlawn, received one of just 28 spots for the incoming RADA class after four rigorous acting auditions. More than 4,500 applicants from around the world vied for those 28 spots.
Luminaries who have graduated from RADA include Anthony Hopkins, Cynthia Erivo, Tom Hiddleston and Jessie Buckley, who won a 2026 Oscar for her role as Agnes Shakespeare in “Hamnet.”
The actor, who fell in love with the theater as a Copley High School student, is working on raising $50,000 to cover expenses for his first year of school. That’s the amount he needs for one year of tuition in the BA acting program, housing in one of the world’s most expensive cities, travel, materials and living expenses while he trains full time.
To make that happen, Ibrahim, who recently finished his junior year on full scholarship at the University of Southern California School of Dramatic Arts, is working three jobs in Los Angeles. That includes working as a summer resident assistant at USC as well as working daily in the school’s theater office and doing freelance work filming high school sports.
Ibrahim, who decided he wanted to switch to training in classical theater, which RADA is renowned for, isn’t eligible for RADA scholarships his first year as an international student, as they’re reserved for United Kingdom residents. And U.S. scholarships apply only to students attending domestic schools, he’s learned.
The actor has to get to RADA first, and then plans to apply for scholarships for his second year at the school, which is a three-year acting program.
Ibrahim said he always likes to solve a problem himself. It was his USC professor, Justin Key, who encouraged him to start a GoFundMe to help in his efforts to make it to RADA.
“You’re gonna miss out on a big opportunity if you don’t. You’re not pressuring people. People have a right to not donate if they don’t want to,” Key advised Ibrahim. “You put it out there and then whatever happens, happens.”
His parents, who are supportive of Ibrahim pursuing the drama that he loves as a career, are unable to contribute to his RADA schooling. As of July 27, his GoFundMe account has raised $32,300, which is 65% of his $50,000 goal.
He has until Sept. 1 to secure the rest of the needed funds to start school at RADA Sept. 7.
“It’s doing really good,” Ibrahim said of the GoFundMe effort. “I’m super blessed that it’s where it is right now.”
Actor-comedian Wayne Brady, who donated $500, is one of 600 donors so far. Ibrahim took an improv class from Brady at USC and the two have kept in touch.
Growing up in Fairlawn
Ibrahim, a first-generation college student, grew up in a low-income family, with his mother, Nisrin, working at an Akron YMCA daycare and his father, Gamal, working nights at liquor and grocery stores. During Ibrahim’s upbringing, the family struggled through eviction notices and, more recently, faced a foreclosure.
“They always did their best but things were inherently tough,” said Ibrahim, who has two siblings. “They didn’t especially speak the language early on and then they didn’t really have a support group family. They didn’t have family out here.”
Ibrahim grew up playing club soccer with AMFC and played for Copley High School. But it was theater that ignited his passion, thanks to teacher Maggie Steffen, with whom he did his first play. He also took his first drama class with her.
“She had an enormous influence. She was super uplifting and super encouraging all the time,” Ibrahim said. “Anyone who just really wanted to learn, she was there for you.”
He described himself as a sensitive, empathetic young person who was teased in middle school and early high school for being overweight. He discovered that he felt at home in his high school theater.
“There was no judgment,” he said. “I think that’s especially why I do love theater and the theater community: It’s because your really just care about each other.”
After high school graduation, Ibrahim took an online acting class from Los Angeles teacher Alex Taylor during COVID, whom Ibrahim said impacted his acting profoundly. He then lived for a year in New York, which included a summer acting program at Vassar College. He then auditioned for college theater programs and started studying at USC in 2023.
By junior year, he began auditioning for classical acting programs in London, including RADA. For his first RADA audition, he submitted self tapes doing contemporary and classical monologues. He then made it to the second audition, which required submitting a Shakespeare monologue and a song.
For the third audition, Ibrahim traveled to London for a half-day movement and improv workshop with other RADA applicants at RADA.
“They wanted just to see how you would work with others,” he said.
He made it to RADA’s fourth audition, returning to London in April for a full day of workshops. A week and a half later, he got an acceptance email from RADA, and his mother screamed when he told her on the phone.
“I had relentlessly been checking my email for that week and a half. It’s probably the worst habit,” said Ibrahim, who was excited to commit to the intense program at his dream school.
Now, Ibrahim is continuing to save money from his jobs and still working on digging up scholarships as he strives to be in London at RADA in early September.
“I am getting to the point, I am hopeful that I think it will happen,” he said.
“I’m super grateful to be in the position that I am. I never thought I would get to this point, so it really is a blessing,” Ibrahim said.
Those interested in donating to Ibrahim’s GoFundMe can do so at https://www.gofundme.com/f/from-cleveland-to-rada-help-me-attend-drama-school.
Arts and restaurant writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Copley grad earns spot at top London acting school, works to fund tuition
Reporting by Kerry Clawson, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Kerry Clawson, Akron Beacon Journal | USA TODAY Network
