A TEENAGER from Falmouth is one of 50 young people who have been treading the boards at Shakespeare's famous Globe Theatre in London this summer .

Esther Martin, 17,has been taking part in the Globe Education Summer Schools at the venue.

The students, aged 16-19 from Spain, Mexico, Denmark, France, all over the USA, across the UK and as far as China experienced in-depth, practical sessions with directors, scholars and masters in the fields of movement, voice and text. They even got to perform in the world-famous Globe theatre and the newly opened Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.

“My time at the Young Actors Summer School was sensational.” says Esther. “We worked hard, improving and developing our understanding of performing, of Shakespeare's work and of his theatre, but we had so much fun too!

"It was truly an honour to be working with a whole group of enthusiastic and talented young actors and the inspirational Globe Education Practitioners. To able to rehearse and perform on the Globe stage, where we’d just seen professional productions, was out of this world. I came away from the week with so much more confidence in myself and I had learnt more than I ever expected to when I first signed up. The entire week was beyond anything I had ever done before. I shall never forget the people I met, the skills I learnt and the incredible experience I had.”

Patrick Spottiswoode, director Globe Education, said: “A 19th century scholar wrote “one touch of Shakespeare makes the whole world kin”. This month, students from around the world gather to explore Shakespeare’s plays and playhouses at Shakespeare’s Globe. Some are preparing to study Shakespeare at university, others are preparing for drama school. There’s no better preparation for either than working on the boards of the stages at the Globe.”