Willington teenager stages musical after spending summer with Todd Carty

A TEENAGE actor is to star in the first film to be directed by former EastEnders star Todd Carty.

Paul Syrstad , from Willington, joined Birds of a Feather actress Pauline Quirke and former Dragons' Den entrepreneur Richard Farleigh, who had a cameo role in The Perfect Burger.

excited: Paul Syrstad, 17 from Willington, has written a new musical 'Intertwined' which will be shown at the Brewhouse Theatre in Burton.
insight: Paul Syrstad (far left) on the set of British horror movie The Perfect Burger with the rest of the cast and director Todd Carty (centre).

The 17-year-old had one of the lead roles in the horror film, which sees a school hand out healthy burgers to its pupils, before they start to disappear.

Paul plays a character, Joe, who refuses to eat the burgers.

He said: "Spending time on a film set was great – it was such a brilliant experience and really gave me an insight into the pace of the industry.

"I also learnt a lot from working with Todd Carty and Pauline Quirke too. They were really exciting people."

Paul, who was born in Spain, went through three rounds of auditioning before landing the part in the film, which is due to be released next year.

He said: "I hope it will stand me in good stead for the future because it is an incredibly competitive industry."

Meanwhile, since August 2007, the Burton College student has been writing a musical Intertwined, based around gang culture. It will be staged at the Brewhouse Theatre, Burton, next month.

Paul, of Trent Avenue, said Intertwined, which features a 17-strong cast of 14 teenagers and three adults, will be shown for one night.

The teenager is paying for the production, including the £1,000 cost of renting the theatre, from his own pocket.

Paul, who is studying for a national diploma in performing arts at Burton College, said: "In 2005, I wrote a song called Stand Up and Be Counted and it was inspired by the relevance of gangs and troubled youngsters at that time.

"I came to England when I was 12 and I was shocked by the stereotypes and groups that are incredibly prominent here, which made me think about writing the song.

" I then decided to turn it into a script and a musical and booked the Brewhouse, because I've performed there before and I'm really excited about how it will go.

He said: "It's a lot of money so I'm hoping and keeping my fingers crossed it will be a success."

To book tickets for Intertwined, on December 11, at 7.30pm, call 01283 508100.