DRAMATIC changes are afoot for local actor Andrew Stainthorpe who starts a one-year course in London next week with a view to a carving professional career on the stage, TV and in film.

Andrew, who turns 40 in December, is a member of the Castle Players at Barnard Castle where his performances, ranging from comical roles to well defined character parts, have earned much appreciative applause over the years.

Switching from a reasonably secure job in business to the more fickle world of the arts is due only in part to his success in amateur theatre.

It was unexpectedly being given a second chance at good health that made him take stock and crystallised long-held ideas about becoming a full-time actor.

Two years ago Andrew underwent a second kidney transplant following failure of the life-saving organ he received in a similar operation in childhood. It was the impetus he needed to fulfil his dream.

“I didn’t want to be looking back in another 40 years regretting I hadn’t tried,” said Andrew, who lives in Butterknowle, and has been a member of the amateurs since 2000.

The first transplant when he was 11 gave him 18 years of normal life. He went to university, graduated in business studies and worked for a company.

Then the kidney began to fail and there followed three years of drugs and invasive procedures, and five difficult and disruptive years on dialysis.

Out of the blue, fellow Castle Player, Samantha Tucker, of West Auckland, offered to donate one of her kidneys. She proved a match, and the operation was a success. She said at the time it was her way of giving something back for the kidney transplant her own father had received years before she was born.

“How do you say thank you for such an incredible gift? Words don’t cut it,” said Andrew. “I decided the best thing is to live my life as well as I can and get the most out of it, not just sit back.”

His ambition was further honed through the challenge and satisfaction of working with the RSC on its Play for the Nation project involving amateurs which led to performances of A Midsummer Night's Dream in Newcastle and at Stratford on Avon earlier this year.

In January he was one of 30 out of 100 applicants offered a place at one of the UK’s leading performing arts schools, ArtsEd, in London, where famous alumni include Julie Andrews, Nigel Havers, Martin Clunes, Margaret Lockwood and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Since March he has been fundraising through public performances towards the £15,000 fees for the course. That figure will about double taking into account accommodation and living costs.

His target of £10,000 was nearly met last week after staging Harold Pinter’s The Dumb Waiter at The Witham, in Barnard Castle, with fellow Player Stephen Bainbridge. Other events are planned for Christmas, and he hopes to increase the number of supporters on his patrons’ scheme.

The difficulty due to cost for individuals from ordinary families wishing to become actors, compared to those from privileged backgrounds, has recently been highlighted by leading names in the profession.

“It is very expensive,” said Andrew, who hoped to get a post-graduate loan but found his course was not eligible. He has saved from his earnings in communications, but says it would be a struggle without supporters.

He will organised a Christmas quiz with auction of signed photographs and memorabilia sent by actors and run a raffle for the armchair donated by an upholstery business in Teesdale which he used in his sell-out performance of Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads monologue A Chip in the Sugar.

Physically fitter now than ever before, Andrew sticks to a health regime that includes gym workouts, walking, eating well and regular medical check-ups. As he sets off for London he is both excited and nervous. But he is not turning his back on Barney.

“I don’t think anyone ever leaves the Castle Players. Most of my friends are Players and I'll keep in touch. I’m sure I'll be back in some capacity,” he said. Some things don't change.

To give a donation or join the patrons' scheme, email andrew.stainthorpe@hotmail.com or call him on 07971 217110. His story, planned events and details of the patron's scheme can be found on his website www.andrewstainthorpe.co.uk.