Laura Harling is wearing a black top outside, with shoulder-length blonde hair.
Laura Harling is wearing a black top outside, with shoulder-length blonde hair.

Drama Studio London alumni receives British Empire Medal in recognition of her work in the community

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Drama Studio London (DSL) is enormously proud of its alumni Laura Harling who has been awarded the British Empire Medal in the 2023 New Year’s Honours List.

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A group of actors and actresses starring in Judas Iscariot in a dramatic scene.

Laura graduated from DSL in 2009 and has had a wonderful career as both an actor and director. In 2016 she founded The Dot Collective, a charity that provides professional theatre for people in residential care, specifically those suffering from dementia, across the UK. The Dot Collective’s work aims to reduce people’s sense of isolation and improve their quality of life.  

The University of West London’s Drama Studio London has a long tradition of delivering festive entertainment to the local community. For the past two years, Laura has returned to DSL to devise a theatre in the community play as a part of DSL’s annual Festive Tour. During December 2022 tour her cast put on productions of ‘The Steadfast Tin Solider’ and ‘Hansel & Gretel’ at residential care homes and community centres across London and received excellent audience feedback.

Three actresses starring in the Level Playing Field production.

A staff member from one participating venue, Meadows Residential Care Home, commented that: 

the actors were very kind and interacted well with the residents. The plays were fantastic, and the residents enjoyed it very much.

Everyone at Drama Studio London is delighted to see Laura’s work honoured in this way,”

says the Director of Drama Studio London, Emma Lucia Hands.

We look forward to working with her again in the future and would like to congratulate her on this well-deserved recognition of her achievements.”  

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