A rising star of the stage has ­secured a scholarship to study at one of the country’s top music and drama schools.

Ex-Brentwood School pupil Lewis Bruniges, 19, of Hornchurch, is well on his way to a career in theatre after being awarded the prestigious Genesis Foundation scholarship to study at the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art, ( LAMDA).

Lewis was awarded the scholarship, which is only given to one budding performer a year, after auditioning for LAMDA vice-president and actor Dame Janet Suzman and Olivier Award winning West End performer Patricia Hodge.

The scholarship, given by the arts charity, will pay for the teenager’s three-year course, which will cost £9,000 each year, plus a yearly maintenance allowance of £6,000 a year.

Lewis said: “It’s a strange feeling to have some form of confirmation from outstanding professionals in the field that I hope to enter into, that perhaps I can one day act and act well.”

He first found his love for the stage while acting in primary school nativity plays and later flourished at Brentwood School, taking part in annual summer productions.

He added: “They [the Genesis Foundation] are trusting me to thrive and bear creative fruit from the money they are investing in my potential, and I can only feel humbled by the sense of purpose and promise that comes from something this generous.”

The talented teenager, who will be studying classical acting from September, is a big Shakespeare fan and will perform in Julius Caesar at Rada (the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) on Saturday.

Lewis added: “I hope that the experience of life and people I’ve gained here in Brentwood will continue to support my imagination and understanding of the wider world, in my training and beyond.”

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