FOUR talented students from Kendal’s Queen Katherine School have auditioned and landed places at two prestigious performing arts organisations.

Year 10 student Elliot Baxter and year 11 student Curtis Medley have gained places at the Youth Musical Theatre UK - one of the country’s leading national youth musical theatre companies - and year 12 students Emily Baxter and Joelle Campbell have been accepted for the National Youth Theatre, which has been the starting point for the glittering careers of actors such as Helen Mirren, Daniel Craig, Orlando Bloom and Catherine Tate.

Elliot plays the Artful Dodger in this year's QKS production of Oliver and performs regularly with Burneside Amateur Theatrical Society. Curtis is a member of Tricia Gordon’s outstanding Brewery Youth Theatre. Both lads will be spending the summer with YMT working towards performances of a brand new musical in Edinburgh and just outside of London.

Meanwhile, Emily and Joelle are focused firmly on studying for A levels in theatre studies and music at QKS. Both girls also feature in the school’s production of Oliver - Emily plays Nancy and Joelle takes the role of Widow Corney. Joelle plays with the Westmorland Youth Orchestra while Emily is another rising young star of Burneside Amateur Theatrical Society.

Emily and Joelle will take part in a two-week acting course in summer based in London. On completion they will become fully fledged members of the National Youth Theatre and will be able to audition for future NYT productions staged across the country.

However, the talented quartet are having to find funding towards their theatrical endeavours and are busy organising a Performance Evening at QKS on Friday, June 22 (7pm).