THE finalists of Shaftesbury Arts Centre’s talent competition have now been revealed.

From music to magic and monologues, the ten carefully selected entrants will perform to judges this weekend in a bid to secure the Take a Bow winner's title.

The competition was launched virtually as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, and those wishing to take part needed to audition last month by submitting a video showcasing their talent. This was then judged by Shaftesbury figures and youth theatre leaders.

Split into categories based on age, the finalists under the ‘7 - 11 years’ group are Isabel Fermor-Dunman singing ‘Naughty’ from Matilda, and Isabella Zaluda singing ‘Spotlight’ from Everybody Is Talking About Jamie.

The most popular category, ‘12-18 years’ includes Cameron Binns performing a magic trick, Daisy Mai Booth playing the ukulele and singing ‘We Don’t Believe What’s On TV’ by Twenty One Pilots, Grace McDonald singing ‘Fools Who Dream’ from La La Land, Mia Cashen singing ‘Recess’ by Melanie Martinez and Sophie Revell singing ‘O Mio Babbino Caro’ by Puccini.

Finalists in the third category, ‘19 years+’ includes Phil Elsworth singing ‘Stars’ from Les Miserables, Rosie King delivering an original monologue called ‘A Spoonful of Porridge’ and Mr Keep Calm singing an original song.

Judges include youth theatre leaders Sam Skey, Zoe Binns and Hattie Slim, Shaftesbury Community Choir founder and a previous head of Music and Drama at Shaftesbury School David Grierson, Shaftesbury events organiser James Thrift and musician and teacher Samantha Singer.

The prize for the winner of each category will be £50 in Shaftesbury Arts Centre vouchers.

The final will take place behind closed doors on Sunday.

To see judges feedback on the finalists and get more information about Take a Bow visit shaftesburyartscentre.org.uk