A BOWDON teen’s endless hours of rehearsing Hamlet’s famous soliloquies have paid off – as he has earned a place at the prestigious The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).

St. Ambrose College actor Jonah Rzeskiewicz beat off competition from thousands of aspiring thespians to win a coveted place at the respected London drama school.

The talented teen even turned down an offer from Paul McCartney's LIPA to pursue his dream.

Jonah said “So many of the most respected actors of this and any other generation have been trained at RADA: Tom Hiddleston, Kenneth Brannagh, Richard Attenborough, Alan Rickman and Ralph Fiennes the list goes on and on, so how could I not accept.”

Jonah won over the RADA panel with two soliloquies, from Hamlet and Coriolanus. After being called back, he chose an excerpt from Edward II by Christopher Marlow. Jonah was confident about the performance, having played the young Edward II at Manchester's Royal Exchange in 2011 at the age of 13.

He took inspiration from co-star Christopher New, who played the older King in the 2011 play.

Jonah said: “I remember Christopher performing that soliloquy so vividly on stage and bringing so much to that role, so when I was asked to pick another soliloquy I called up Christopher and we met in Manchester to discuss my approach; it was invaluable.”

Getting through to the final stage, Jonah had to work through another day of drama workshops before he got news of his acceptance.

“It was incredibly draining and incredibly challenging but if every day of my learning experience is going to be like that then I know I will have a fantastic few years ahead,” he said.

Mair Bull, head of Drama at St. Ambrose College, said: “Jonah is a striking young character actor who played Prospero in the College's production of The Tempest and gave such a memorable and polished performance. He has always been a joy to work with.”