A PORT Glasgow travel consultant hopes to spread his wings across the Atlantic to become an actor — if he can raise the money.

Kevin Curran has landed a scholarship with a prestigious New York acting school, although he has never done any acting.

But Kevin, 24, still needs to raise thousands of pounds by January to take up an offer to study for two years at the Manhattan Conservatory for Dramatic Arts, whose graduates include film and TV star Matthew Fox.

Kevin, of Slaemuir, has been offered a £6,000 scholarship on the strength of performing monologues over the internet on Skype — one of them from the script of the horror film Psycho.

However he needs to receive pledges totalling £25,000 to pay for the rest of his first year’s fees and accommodation in the Big Apple.

Kevin said: “I was involved in drama at St Stephen’s High and with the Inverclyde Peace Initiative, where we did mediation and anti-bullying programmes. I also helped out backstage at Greenock Players.

“I’ve been working for a travel agency, but I always wanted to be an actor and found out about the New York school through a website.

“You only live once, so I decided to take the plunge and write to them. They replied and asked me to choose monologues to perform on Skype for them.

“It was quite a daunting thing to do, but I acted out the part of killer Norman Bates at the start of Psycho.

“I’ve just been told I’ve been accepted for the school — and I’m over the moon.” Kevin said his mum Rosemary has been a big encouragement.

He said: “She has never stood in the way of me doing what I wanted to do.” The school’s second year fees, he said, could be covered by landing acting roles in America.

Kevin said: “The school is around the corner from Broadway, the home of American theatre. I’m really excited about going there, although it’s a big step to leave Scotland and my job behind.” The school says on its website that it is very selective about the students it chooses.

It says: “Many performing arts schools accept anyone who pays the tuition, diluting the training for those with real potential.

“Last year, we saw and auditioned thousands of students around the country and the world, before enrolling a select few.

“That means you don’t have to share space, resources or the attention of your teachers with students who aren’t qualified to be here.

“Acting experience isn’t required, but talent and passion are a must.” It adds: “We travel and search for the most passionate and promising young actors. We invite you to discover a blend of advantages unmatched anywhere in the world.” Kevin said he hoped that companies or individuals will sponsor him to follow his dream.

He can be contacted at kjcurran_90@hotmail.co.uk or by calling 07842-177346.