Huntingdon Youth Theatre has been accepted to take part in a national acting festival; an opportunity which could see the group play at the National Theatre in London.

National Theatre Connections selects drama groups across the country to perform one of 12 plays, giving youngsters the opportunity to experience professional theatre-making.

Groups will perform at regional theatres and are encouraged to create their own marketing campaigns, design sets, costumes and control stage equipment.

This year, the festival has chosen 500 youth theatre groups to take part - double its usual intake of talent - and will see more than 1,000 shows put on, 10,000 youngsters involved and 40,000 audience members.

Huntingdon Youth Theatre will be performing ‘It Snows’, a story about the joy of a snow day, and will play four home dates.

Graeme Hammond, producer, said: “This is the first time we have been involved and are thrilled to be taking part.”

Starting at the Commemoration Hall in Huntington, the group will perform on March 18 at 7:30pm, March 20 at 3pm and March 22 at 8pm.

On May 1 the group will move to the Junction in Cambridge for a 3:30pm show, having been given feedback from a National Theatre director beforehand.

Mr Hammond added: “This is a major opportunity for Huntingdon Youth Theatre. We run an open-door policy and are very proud of what we have done.

“Being part of National Theatre Connections is a major achievement for our group and everybody involved is relishing the challenge.”

Tickets cost £8 for adults and £6 for concessions and can be bought from Niche Comics at 147 High Street, Huntingdon. Alternatively, they can be bought direct from the venues or online at huntingdonyouththeatre.co.uk