We are delighted for Fifth Former Peter Barrington who has been offered a prestigious place with the National Youth Theatre (NYT) company, following a round of national auditions.
Peter, who was up against 6,000 young hopefuls, is one of just 70 talented young actors who were invited to join the company. The audition process was no easy task; firstly, Peter was required to demonstrate movement, improvisation and show his devising skills. This was then followed with a monologue performance and finally an interview!
Peter is the fifth Bedford School pupil in as many years to secure a much sought-after place and will follow in the footsteps of British acting and singing stars such as Benedict Cumberbatch and Ed Sheeran.
Peter first caught the acting bug as a young boy, aged about seven years, when he joined Stagecoach; a local theatre group. One of Peter’s notable early performances was his portrayal of the Young King Arthur in the play Death of King Arthur, a Bedford School production when Peter was in Y5 of the Prep School. Since then he has played numerous parts; more recently he starred in the school’s production of The Red Shoes.
Peter told us, “I was so excited to hear I had been offered a place. I was just about to go in to bowl in a school cricket match, and it certainly made me bowl a lot faster! This summer, I am going on a two-week residential course with the NYT, and after that I can start auditioning for parts in productions with them.”
Earlier this year, Peter gained an A grade in Speech and Drama with LAMDA. Now that his GCSE exams are finished, he can look forward to the summer and starting the Sixth Form in September, when he will study Drama, English Literature, Classics and Music Tech at A-Level. Peter is a keen singer and plays the piano, jazz piano and guitar. He is on the cricket A team and is the U18 first seed in squash in the school.
Antoinette Keylock, Head of Academic Drama told us, “I am immensely proud of Peter’s achievement. The National Youth Theatre of Great Britain is a tough company to get into and Peter is now one of many students from Bedford School who have been successful. Peter’s audition piece was a monologue that he used for his GCSE Drama scripted exam. I am keen for more boys next year to take the plunge and audition!”