Students hope to strike a chord

'Dr Who' is one of the academy's famous alumni

Students from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama are taking their campaign against cuts to the Scottish Parliament.

A full symphony orchestra will perform extracts from Bizet and Wagner in a bid to secure extra funding for the academy.

The students claim that £600,000 of cuts could compromise the academy's reputation as well as their classes.

The RSAMD blames long-term underfunding for its current financial position.

A statement from students called the situation "untenable," which could result in "losing its core of a world-class staff across the academy that has taken many decades to build".

It continued: "Without equal funding to England in the longer term, it's feared the RSAMD may have no choice but to close the drama school altogether."

'Historic underfunding'

Labour MSP, Pauline McNeil - whose constituency covers the academy - has lodged a motion in parliament claiming that "historic underfunding has finally come to a head".

The motion called on the Scottish Government to fund the current £600,000 gap and "work with the funding council to ensure that drama and music courses are both funded to conservatoire level to ensure that Scotland remains at the centre of international arts provision."

Famous alumni of the academy include James McAvoy, "Doctor Who" David Tennant and Ruby Wax.