TWO young actors from Watford have been treading the boards once graced by such titans of the industry as Ben Kingsley, Helen Mirren and Daniel Day-Lewis.

They have beaten off competition from thousands of other hopefuls who audition each year to become members of the National Youth Theatre (NYT), now in its 49th season.

Young people between the ages of 13 and 21 in full-time education first take acting courses with the company and are then eligible, the following year, to audition for parts in NYT productions.

Mark Andrew Weinman, 18, of Oxhey Avenue, is one of 35 actors who successfully auditioned for a role in the telling of three major stories about Deptford in London, The Deptford Tales, at the Shipwright's Palace, Deptford, in September.

He said: "We have been divided into three groups; mine is telling a story about the playwright Christopher Marlowe.

"This is an Outreach project and we have been getting involved with people in the local community, doing workshops and even wading through Deptford Creek to find artefacts.

"I did my acting course last year at NYT and it was brilliant.

"This year I have really enjoyed working with everyone on a production. As it's NYT, everyone is able to work together really well.

"Acting is something I have always seen myself moving towards and I'm going to Manchester after a gap year to study theatre. I'd like to be a theatre actor, maybe moving into film.

"I like theatre acting because you only get one chance on stage, rather than hundreds of takes during filming, to get it right."

He said that his school, Merchant Taylor's in Northwood, supported him after he got through the audition and that they would be encouraging more of their students in the future.

"Hopefully I'll be coming back next year; fingers crossed for the auditions."

Hannah Cook, 17, of Kingsfield Road, is currently taking part in one of NYT's acting courses.

She said: "My drama teacher at school encouraged me to apply to NYT in the first place.

"I was amazed to get in and would definitely recommend it to other people. It's really good fun and I'm really enjoying it.

"On the course we are learning all sorts of different skills, like clowning, stage fighting and vocal techniques.

"I'd love to go into a career in theatre, and my absolute dream would be to act in films."

Hannah, who goes to St Margaret's School in Bushey, has landed the lead role in its production of Alan Ayckbourn's Revengers Comedies.

She said: "I will definitely be using some of the skills I have learnt at NYT in that role. I hope to return to NYT next year."

This year NYT is putting on ten mini plays as well as six larger productions. The range of the work showcased is extremely broad, from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice abridged by Tom Stoppard, to the late Nick Darke's Antigone at Hell's Mouth, a resetting of Sophocles' classic play over a background of the war for Cornish independence.

Outreach productions involve going into the communities in which they are set, with Letters of War performed on HMS Belfast and Deptford Tales performed actually in Deptford.

Many young actors have passed through NYT over the years and have subsequently turned into some of the biggest stars of stage and screen.

Former NYT members include Derek Jacobi, Timothy Dalton, Orlando Bloom, Colin Firth, David Suchet and Timothy Spall. Founded in 1956, the company will celebrate 50 years of youth productions next year under the tag line God save the teen.