Rada stars coming out at night to benefit next generation of actors

Alan Rickman will head an unprecedented line-up of British acting talent tomorrow to raise money for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

From Lord Attenborough, who was there during the Second World War, to more recent alumni, actors who got their break at Rada are turning out to help the next generation of stars.

Richard Briers, Fiona Shaw and Janet McTeer are among those who volunteered to make a recording of verse by Shakespeare and will appear tomorrow night in a concert at the Old Vic in London to launch it.

Musicians as diverse as Annie Lennox (reunited with former Eurythmics partner Dave Stewart) and Des'ree also contributed to the album and will perform in the concert. Only a few tickets remain.

The idea came from Rickman, a member of Rada's governing council. "It occurred to me that we weren't making as much use as we could of past students," he said.

He decided a CD would maximise income and readings of Shakespearean sonnets would be excellent, because they would not take hours to record but would highlight Rada's excellence in teaching verse-speaking.

Lord Attenborough joined him in encouraging other alumni to contribute. "It was a pushover. They're doing what they are proud to do, using their professional ability to pay tribute to Rada," he said.

The result was When Love Speaks, featuring the biggest and most illustrious array of theatrical talent assembled for one recording. More than 40 stars, including Kenneth Branagh, Ralph Fiennes and Diana Rigg, took part. John Gielgud, a supporter of the project before his death, is represented by an archive recording.

By coincidence, Rickman discovered that Michael Kamen, the American composer of film scores including Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, also had a desire to make a Shakespearean recording. Kamen persuaded musicians from Ladysmith Black Mambazo to the opera singer Barbara Bonney to join in and add variety.

The CD looks likely to become Shakespeare's first entry in the album chart top 20. Proceeds from the concert and £1.20 from every CD sold will go to Rada, which has to find £300,000 a year to supplement its official grants to train young actors. It is also still paying off its £8m contribution towards the £32m refurbishment of its school and theatres.

Lord Attenborough hopes the CD will have a secondary benefit of encouraging interest in the Bard. "I think this wonderful galaxy of stars will bring in a young generation who might otherwise be rather put off by the word Shakespeare."