Year 11 pupil James W took time out from his GCSE exams for a special performance at one of the most prestigious theatres in the country.
James was appearing in a performance of ‘(Circle Dreams Around) The Terrible, Terrible Past’ alongside 19 other teenagers as part of a scheme run by the National Theatre, entitled Connections.
The 16-year-old and his fellow actors from Ilkley Players were chosen by the National Theatre to put on the play in London after first performing at York Theatre Royal.
Said James, who’s been acting since he was aged eight: “If you think when we perform in Ilkley it’s to an audience of around 80 people, it was incredible to be on stage in front of around 400 people. It felt even more real because the staff treated us all like professional actors.
“I was really nervous beforehand. The enormity of it didn’t really hit me until I walked on stage and saw how big it was. It was such a fantastic experience.
“We performed for one show and then I had to be back at school the next day to take my Further Maths exam. I really love acting. I do see it as a hobby but it’s a hobby I would like to do for the rest of my life!”
Connections is the National Theatre’s nationwide, annual youth theatre festival, which has been running for 28 years. Every year it commissions plays for young people to perform and a select few groups and companies are chosen to put the plays on at the National Theatre.
“It was such a fantastic experience.”
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