If all the world's a stage, this pupil from Hitchin Boys' School has a bright future ahead of him after finishing as the runner-up in a national Performing Shakespeare Competition.

Eli Morris, a year 8 student, competed in the grand final of the competition on Friday, June 23, held at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare's Globe in London.

Competing against 11 other regional winners from across England and Wales, his performance as Jacques from Act II, Scene 7 in As You Like It earned him a second-place finish.

Claire Gale, head of creative arts at Hitchin Boys', said: “The competition was very stiff all the way through but particularly in the final round; competitors had travelled from all over the country to compete in this prestigious event.

"Eli performed beautifully and it is testament to all the hard work he put in that he should come away with a trophy for second place out of the 12 performances that we saw on the day and the 4,000 competitors that entered the competition nationally.

"We couldn't be more proud of him and his dedication to this competition.”

The grand final was the culmination of a competition organised by the English-Speaking Union, with over 4,000 children taking part.

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The 12 regional winners were invited to Shakespeare’s Globe for the occasion, where they received a tour of the theatre and a professionally-led workshop before they took to the stage in the atmospheric Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.

After the competition they received feedback from the panel of esteemed judges comprising actor Abigail Cruttenden (Benidorm, Not Going Out); theatre director and arts activist Jatinder Verma MBE; RADA-trained actor Neil Hancock; author and Shakespeare specialist Dr. Victoria Sparey; academic and director of multiple theatre companies Rowan Mackenzie; and director of education (Learning) at Shakespeare’s Globe, Lucy Cuthbertson.

The overall winners of the competition were sisters Ishvari and Kishori Mutty from the Robinson Drama Academy who performed as Hermia and Helena from Act III, scene 2 of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

George Slater and Archie Grace, from The King’s School, Gloucester, won the Don Miller Award, voted for by the audience, for the dramatic stage combat they employed in Act V, scene 8 of Macbeth.

Dr Victoria Sparey, chair of judges, said, "We have been blown away by the performances we have seen today.

"Many of us said we saw something new in a scene or a speech that we know really well – the actors have succeeded in moving the audience and connecting with us to make us think something new."

Fellow judge Rowan Mackenzie added: "These were amazingly innovative, thoughtful, inspirational performances into which the young people had put a lot of thought and related them to their own experiences and then used that as a vehicle to communicate to the wider world.

"That to me is the power of Shakespeare."