Train stations across the country may contain similar scenes of children enjoying their half-term freedom but surely no young passengers are as excited as these nine to 13-year-olds, who have been auditioning for a part in The Railway Children.
Mike Kenny’s e-steamed adaptation of the popular children’s tale, which took home an Olivier Award for Best Entertainment in 2011, is making a return journey to London this winter, calling at a new purpose-built venue behind King’s Cross Station from 16 December.
Based on E Nesbit’s classic novel, which follows three children as they move with their mother from London to a cottage in rural Yorkshire, The Railway Children will be staged in an auditorium complete with railway tracks, platforms and a state of the art heating system.
To determine whether or not they’ll make it to that all-important final destination, aspiring young performers made a stop at Jacksons Lane Arts Centre earlier this month to display their talents in front of the show’s producers.
Take a look at our gallery above to see some of the lucky auditionees hoping to board the production’s 60-tonne steam locomotive when the show opens at the King’s Cross Theatre this Christmas. Full casting is yet to be announced.