STUDENT Jay Jones is leaving Slaithwaite behind for the bright lights of London’s theatre land.

The Greenhead College student has landed a part in a play about 9/11 with the National Youth Theatre.

A decade on from the atrocity, Jay will be part of the cast of Our Days of Fear at the Old Vic Tunnels in London this summer.

Seventeen-year-old Jay hasn’t seen the script yet but goes into rehearsals next week. He’ll be in London all summer before returning to his studies in September.

“Nine writers have each written an 11-minute scenario based around the fears of 9/11,” he said.

“For young people it’s about growing up and living through the War On Terror and dealing with that.

“It fits in with the National Youth Theatre’s season The F Word – fear, fundamentalism and faith – which are all relative.

“It will look at different scenarios and ask what makes people plant a bomb and do something like that.”

Jay doesn’t know if he’ll play one character in each of the 11 sketches or a different one.

“I’ll have to adapt to whatever each character goes through,” he added.

Jay, a former pupil at Colne Valley High School, has already appeared on stage with the National Youth Theatre, performing in Relish – a story about a celebrity chef – in Shoreditch last year.

And his work with the NYT has seen him perform from Manchester to China.

The young actor, who is also a talented gymnast and dancer, added: “It’s brilliant to be involved with the National Youth Theatre.

“Being on stage is my passion.

“It’s a different kind of summer job to have but it’s been a great experience so far.

“Last year I got to meet Sir Ian McKellen which was amazing and I’ve been to China too.”

Jay, who was a student of the Bernadette Heys School of Theatre Dance in Marsden, will be back in time for his second year at Greenhead College where he studies chemistry, physics, maths and further maths.

He’s hoping to go to university next year.

The Old Vic Tunnels is a new theatre in the underground near Waterloo station. It was formerly the place where they kept the trains but was acquired by the renowned Old Vic and converted into a theatre space.

Jay’s play runs from August 18 to September 17.