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Talented Ripon youngster to star in Goodnight Mr Tom

Friday, 27 June 2025 10:10

13-year-old Ewan Donaldson will star in Goodnight Mr Tom at Harrogate Theatre.

A talented young actor from Ripon has won a major role in a production of Goodnight Mr Tom.

Ewan Donaldson, from Galphay, plays Zach in the stage play based on the children’s novel of the same name which opens in October at Harrogate Theatre.

For the 13-year-old, who first took up acting when he was four years old and hopes to study performing arts after RGS, it will be his first time performing on stage with adults.

He enjoyed the rigorous Harrogate Dramatic Society production audition process, which involved an initial workshop with singing, dancing and acting, followed by group work acting scenes and solo singing.

Ewan was delighted to win the comedic role of Zach, a young evacuee from London known for his outgoing personality, love of theatre and dramatic flair.

The teenager has attended Upstage Academy School of Performance in Ripon for five years and recently joined Damien Poole Theatre Arts in Harrogate.

He said:

“I love performing on stage.”

Previous roles include High School Musical, Hairspray and Grease.

He also played Jack in Into the Woods and sang his first solo, Giants in the Sky, at Harrogate Theatre, which he called “exhilarating.”

In July, Ewan joins other Ripon Grammar students in an Upstage Academy production of School of Rock.

He eventually plans to pursue an acting career:

“I am looking for opportunities to challenge myself and develop my performing skills, also in TV and film.”

Goodnight Mr Tom runs at Harrogate Theatre from 16th until 18th October. Find out more here.

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