A TEENAGER who dreams of one day playing Nancy in a West End version of Oliver! is a step closer to achieving her dream - after beating thousands of other hopefuls to a place at London School of Musical Theatre.

Seventeen-year-old Lisa Sherlock is nearing the end of a two-year BTEC National Diploma in acting at Kidderminster College and has won one of 37 places on an intensive one-year diploma in musical theatre at the prestigious school, starting on October 4.

The budding star, who found her stage feet in the Midlands Operatic Society and Youth On Stage and played the leading lady in Crazy For You at the Birmingham Old Rep last year, said she was looking forward to a new life in London.

"It's really exciting," she said. "I didn't expect to get a place but just went for the audition to see what it was like," adding her audition included performing a dance, an extract from a play and two songs, Nothing from Chorus Line and As Long As He Needs Me from Oliver.

"I'll be training professionally in singing, dancing and acting, specifically for musical theatre and I'll be trained to go in for auditions," she added.

"From what I can gather, people that have been through the school have all done professional acting work and a lot of them have gone on to the West End."

The teenager, whose role models include Sarah Brightman and Elaine Paige, added it was her ambition to become a West End star of the future.

"My family have been really supportive and are doing all they can to help me out," she went on.

"It will be the first time I have ever had to live alone when I move to London in October, so I'm very nervous but am really chuffed about being able to do it."