JUST as New York’s High School for Performing Arts draws talent from beyond the Hudson River in Fame, The Musical, so the Live Nation Stage Experience summer theatre project in York is spreading its wings.

In Fame’s aptly themed tale of a group of eager and talented students progressing from first audition to graduation, the leading roles of cocky Carmen and streetwise Tyrone go to Linzie Campbell-Watt, 19, from Northallerton, and Ashford Campbell, a 17-year-old student from Huddersfield.

Linzie is half way through her two-year national diploma in musical theatre at York College and this week’s upcoming production at the Grand Opera House offers her a new challenge.

“I’ve never done musical theatre before, though I’ve done lots of opera,” she says.

“The last opera I was in was Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana; that was in Spain last summer, with a half-English, half-Spanish cast and a British director, Andrew Bright. We were in Malaga; I was there for a couple of weeks, but dad lives just outside Malaga so that was okay.”

Once more she is diving in at the deep end. “I’ve always been interested in musical theatre but never thought I’d be good enough as loads of people want to get into it, but after doing this show, now I’m going to be more interested in this, I would say, than in opera,” says Linzie.

“It was scary at first in rehearsals but everyone was lovely and welcoming; it’s always nice to work with new people and it’s a good skill to have to make new friends.”

Ashford, who is studying for four A-levels at Greenhead College in Huddersfield, also received a warm welcome when he joined rehearsals last week, a few days after director Louise Denison began work with the cast on the 15-day project.

He had first played the troubled, volatile Tyrone for Louise in Locked Out Productions’ show at Wakefield Theatre Royal last year.

“Because I’m playing him for a second time, I feel like I know him more and I can put my own twist on it,” he says. “I’ve got more into his method of thinking; although I felt I got the character last year, I was acting the lines rather than him.”

Giving an example, Ashford says: “Last year I was finding the role, so in the scene where Tyrone is leaving, I just played him as angry but now I want the audience to see another side to him.”

He may have a third chance to play Tyrone later this year.

“My college is doing Fame in December, so hopefully I’ll do the show again but it would be nice to do another role. You can’t always hold on to the same part, so possibly I could do Nick, because I love his songs.”

• Live Nation Stage Experience 2009 presents Fame, The Musical, Grand Opera House, York, Thursday to Saturday, 7.30pm, plus Saturday matinee, 2.30pm. Box office: 0844 847 2322