BUDDING young Waltham Forest actors Laila Metennawy and Darren Bailey were among 30 young performers to overcome their stage fright and present their own show on Saturday.

The Stratford Theatre Royal, Gerry Raffles Square, is playing host to London Talent, a performing arts course for London's talented youngsters.

The course, for youngsters aged eight to 15, was born out of a Government initiative to promote extra-curricular activities to gifted and talented pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The children will learn to strut their stuff about the stage of the famous east London playhouse, which gave a first chance on stage to artists such as Richard Harris, who played Professor Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films, and Shobna Gulati, who plays Sunita in Coronation Street.

Kerry Michael, of the Theatre Royal, said: "The Theatre Royal has a long tradition of discovering and nurturing young acting and performing talent in East London. We are therefore delighted to be a part of London Talent.

The project gives an opportunity for young people to work with some amazingly talented artists."

The project saw the youngsters working with directors and a team of other theatre professionals to produce their own show, Pass the Parcel, which plays on Saturday at 7.30pm.