A PYROTECHNICIAN who honed his craft at a Swindon school has landed a prestigious job in a national stage show.

Alex Herrington, from Rodbourne is currently bringing fireworks and flames to Lord Of The Dance-Dangerous Games, at the Playhouse in London’s embankment.

This follows his graduation in stage electrics and production design from the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.

“It’s basically indoor fireworks, flames, anything that gives the wow factor, I like the adrenaline rush of it, you get that nervous excitement before each show,” Alex said.

“And you don’t know what it’s going to look like. You always feel very excited before each show, it’s that anticipation and you have to be exactly on point all the time.”

In pyrotechnics explosions, flashes, smoke, flames and fireworks feature heavily and are used to add drama to a production.

To celebrate his success, the 21-year-old paid a visit to his former school where he took his first foray into lighting and sound effects alongside performing arts technician and mentor Nick Weaver.

Alex, whose dream is to work on awards shows says it was down to the support of Commonweal that he found his calling.

“It was great to be back and to thank everyone for the support they have given me over the years.

“Without Nick’s help and the staff at Commonweal I would never have thought of doing this and it’s them I have to thank.

Alex credited his achievements with the help shown by Nick,

“He would teach me things during productions and sit with me after school and lunchtimes helping me," he said.

“Before I met Nick I had never heard of RADA but I heard about it I knew it was the best place for me. I sat down with my parents and told them it was my dream and they were really supportive.

Alex battled dyslexia and a chronic lung condition during his years at Commonweal but said this spurred him on in his ambitions.

“People might not have thought I could do it and that made me even more determined to prove them wrong.”

After working as a casual technician for the Wyvern Theatre Alex fulfilled his dream of being selected for RADA and moved to London

He said his philosophy was to never think too far into the future.

“What I’ve always tried to do is aim for short-term goals, never an impossible dream. I told myself that I would do my best to get into RADA as that would get me on the path I wanted to go down," he said.

Nick Weaver said he was delighted with the success of his former pupil.

“I couldn’t be more proud,” he said.

“Alex set his sights on his goal and he achieved it, that’s what it’s all about. We want to encourage students to be diverse and have an interesting array of subjects and he has done us all proud.”