College welcomes Estonian Visitors to learn about education in Wales

An A-level student from Llantwit Fardre is one step closer to her acting dream after getting through to the next round of auditions for Paul McCartney’s drama school in Liverpool.

Jenna Claridge, 18, who is studying for her A-levels at Coleg y Cymoedd, wowed the judges at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts during her first audition. She has received a call back to secure herself a place at the former-Beatle’s prestigious acting institution to study a one-year foundation course in Acting and Musical Theatre.

After fighting off competition from hundreds of applicants to make the call back Jenna is hoping to be in the top 18 to enrol in September and join the likes of successful indie rock band The Wombats and presenter Dawn O’Porter on the list of alumni.

Not content with putting all her eggs in one basket, however, budding star Jenna will be also be auditioning at the Guildford School of Acting in Surrey.

This term will continue to be busy for Jenna as she has recently landed the female lead in a stage performance of Les Miserables. The Orbit Youth Theatre production in Cardiff will see Jenna playing Fantine, the character performed by Anne Hathaway in the 2012 Hollywood blockbuster.

Jenna is in her second year of studying A-levels in English, drama and Welsh Baccalaureate at Coleg y Cymoedd’s Nantgarw campus and says she owes her recent achievements largely to her drama teacher, Rebecca Francis-Jones.

Jenna said: “Miss Francis-Jones has been so supportive to me and all of my classmates. She is great at boosting your confidence and makes you believe you are good enough to go for these auditions. She’s such a resourceful teacher and she is the reason her class achieved a 100 per cent pass rate at AS Level.

“I’m really excited about giving my acting career a go and would love to study in Liverpool. With my brother being in the Navy I’ve always had an interest in the military, so if it doesn’t work out I’d like to enter the RAF, which is about as different as you can get from the treading the boards.”

Judith Evans, principal of Coleg y Cymoedd, congratulated Jenna on her achievements so far. She said: “Jenna is excelling in her craft and I’m sure she will go far in whatever she chooses to do. At the college we place huge emphasis on equipping our students with the right skills, attitude and knowledge so that they can secure employment soon after completing their courses or go on to higher education. We would love for Jenna to come back to share her experiences with next year’s A-level students. We wish her the best of luck with her auditions and performances of Les Miserables.”

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