Young actor wins place with theatre group

A pupil from Shrewsbury is following in the footsteps of some of the UK's leading actors and actresses by winning a place at the National Youth Theatre.

Harry Al-Adwani attends Shrewsbury School and beat thousands of others to be awarded the coveted place.

The National Youth Theatre boasts many famous alumni, including Dame Judi Dench, Daniel Craig and Sir Ben Kingsley.

The 14-year-old is one of only 500 young people in the country to win through this year.

He will now remain a member of the theatre group until he is 21, taking part in acting training courses and theatre productions.

"I am very excited to be a member of such a fantastic theatre company," he said. "It is my ambition to be a professional actor when I leave Shrewsbury School so this is a big step forward."

He has taken the lead role in several school productions and has also been offered a place at Youth Music Theatre-UK.

This summer Harry will be performing in two musical shows for Youth Music Theatre-UK, which will take place in London and Edinburgh.

He will also be completing a two-week course at the National Youth Theatre.

Peter Fanning, head of drama at Shrewsbury School, praised the youngster. He said: "Harry has a great natural talent and we are sure we will hear more of him in the future. He is set for stardom."