New LAMDA Exams Acting and Verse & Prose Anthologies

We’re thrilled to announce that LAMDA Exams are collaborating with Nick Hern Books, the UK’s leading specialist theatre publisher, to publish two new anthologies on 25 April 2024.

These anthologies – Acting Anthology: Volume 5 and Verse and Prose Anthology: Volume 20 – contain monologues, duologues, poems and prose extracts for LAMDA Exams Learners to use during their exams, and are now available to pre-order in paperback from the Nick Hern Books website at a special discounted price.

These two new anthologies have been carefully crafted with the new LAMDA Exams syllabi in mind, connecting to the new exam specifications for Learners completing their Acting, Introductory, and Speaking Verse and Prose examinations. Both anthologies feature texts that are on the GCSE and A-Level curriculum, have been chosen to help Learners demonstrate their breadth of skills and acting range, and can be used and enjoyed by teachers and Learners of LAMDA Exams, as well as general audiences and those interested in the performing arts.

LAMDA Acting Anthology: Volume 5 contains the set selection of 100 solo and duologue scenes for Learners entering LAMDA Graded Examinations in Performance: Acting from Grade 1 to Grade 5, and includes a foreword by actor and LAMDA graduate Ruth Wilson.

LAMDA Verse and Prose Anthology: Volume 20 contains the set selection of pieces for Learners entering LAMDA Graded Examinations in Communication: Speaking Verse and Prose from Entry Level to Grade 8, and LAMDA Introductory Graded Examinations from Stage 1 to Stage 3 (Solo and Group), and includes a foreword by Joseph Coelho, Waterstones Children’s Laureate 2022-24. The Verse and Prose Anthology also contains the winners and runners up from the LAMDA Learners’ Poetry Prize 2023.

Both Acting Anthology: Volume 5 and Verse and Prose Anthology: Volume 20 are now available to pre-order in paperback from the Nick Hern Books website, where you currently get your copies at the special discounted price of £20 each (RRP £22). They will also be available to order via other major and specialist bookshops in store and online soon.

Announcing Changes to the Anthologies and Syllabi

Following on from our statement on 30 April, we wanted to provide our valued community with a further update on the actions we are currently taking in light of the feedback we have received to our new anthologies. 

Changes to LAMDA Acting Anthology: Volume 5 

• We are adding a discretionary content warning inside Acting Anthology: Volume 5, in both print and ebook formats.  
• We are including a suggested amendment to the set piece from the play Two Billion Beats (on page 160 of the anthology), which should be applied immediately as required:  
• The stage direction 'Bettina starts...' towards the start of the monologue should be replaced with the following: 'Bettina jubilantly raps and/or sings a popular song about money. She knows all the words and has all the moves. She relishes every moment of this joyous victory.' 
• Sales of Acting Anthology: Volume 5 will resume as soon as these changes have been made. 

Changes to the syllabi 

• We are expanding the selection of set pieces accepted for assessment to allow use of the previous anthologies (Verse and Prose Anthology Volume 19 and Acting Anthology Volume 4) beyond July 2024.  
• We are updating the Performance and Communication Graded Examinations syllabi 2024 to clarify the following will be accepted for the entirety of the syllabi’s lifespan:  
• Set Pieces can be chosen from EITHER Verse and Prose Anthology Volume 19 or 20 OR Acting Anthology Volume 4 or 5.  
• Own Choice pieces can be chosen from ALL previously published Anthologies, including Verse and Prose Volume 19 and Acting Anthology Volume 4.  
• We are currently creating a supplementary Set Piece Reading List which will provide further options for young learners, including all material contained in LAMDA Acting Anthology Volume 4 and Verse and Prose Anthology Volume 19. 

These resources will be available as soon as possible, and we will update this statement and publicise their release on our Notice Board. 
 

Thank you 

We thank everyone who has been in touch with responses to our new syllabi and anthologies. We value your input and the incredible teaching community of LAMDA Exams who are at the heart of everything we do.  

Our goal is to provide young people with access to the rich world of speech and drama, empowering them to become confident communicators while fostering a passion for acting and nurturing essential life skills. Moreover, we are dedicated to supporting the exceptional teaching community as they continue to inspire and uplift young people worldwide. 

We sincerely apologise again for any inconvenience and concern you have experienced, and appreciate your patience and understanding during this period as we carry out the actions detailed above.