FIVE young actors and actresses from a Harpenden stage school were chosen from 16,000 students across the world to appear in a production of Jane Eyre.

Fifteen-year-olds Kate Brooks and Miriam Leary-Joyce, 12 year olds Francine Rowan and Eloise Rowan who are not related and 11-year-old Al Gangoo, from the Stagecoach School, based at Sir John Lawes School, all appeared in the musical adaptation at Epsom Playhouse.

They were among a cast of 77 youngsters from the UK, Ireland and America, who spent three weeks rehearsing at Stagecoach's national headquarters at Walton-on-Thames in Surrey last month.

They then put on two matinee and three evening performances.

All of them had been chosen earlier at a special audition.

Harpenden principal Angela Goss said: "Our students had minor and chorus roles. They loved taking part and had a wonderful time. They learned an immense amount from the concentrated tuition and we are very proud of them."

Stagecoach, which has 350 schools in the UK, teaches children to act, dance and sing. The Harpenden school, set up six years ago, has 188 youngsters aged between four and 14.