One of the island’s most promising young thespians was named as the Young Actor of Mann after taking part in a new-look competition.

Fifteen-year-old Orry Wilson took the top accolade after being selected out of a shortlist of ten young actors at the Studio Theatre at Ballakermeen High School.

Under the eyes of UK adjudicator Sue Doherty and professional actor Tony Eccles, himself a former holder of the ‘Young Actor of Mann’ title, the 10 students spent the first day in a theatrical workshop, where they learnt to play the roles of several characters of a play, which they then performed to an audience.

Their abilities to take on direction and develop their individual roles during the process of the workshop, along with the way they portrayed their characters during the play itself led to the adjudicator’s final decision.

Orry impressed the judges, which also included Ben Heath, from the Isle of Man Arts Council, with his mature and strong performance, with Abigail Harrison voted in the runners-up spot.

The play, entitled ‘Find Me’ by Olwyn Wymark, was a hard-hitting story, based on a real life event, and concerned the treatment of a girl with mental health difficulties in the mid 1970s.

Each of the 10 students were given the chance to perform the leading roles during the play, swapping characters between themselves so that each got a chance to lead the line.

Orry’s turn, playing the grandfather, was described as ‘outstanding’ and earned praise for bringing a lot of emotion to the role and his level of maturity fort his performance.

Abigail was also singled out for high praise when she performed as the girl at the centre of the action, and was particularly praised for her connection with the audience.

The new format replaces the old style of competition, and Michael Lees, president of the Manx Amateur Dramatics Federation, organisers of the Young Actor of Mann competition, said it places a bigger test on the abilities on the young actors.

‘The previous format allowed the pupils to choose their own pieces, rehearse them at length and perform them individually, giving the actors weeks to prepare,’ said Michael.

‘This new structure put the emphasis and the pressure on how well they could respond to fresh impetus quickly and allow them to think and react on the spot.

‘There are a few teething issues with the new format that we need to iron out, but we’re confident it is a competition that will continue to grow in the future and highlight our talented young actors.

‘Orry was a very worthy winner and both he and Abigail were both outstanding.’