A WEST-END theatre star whose career started at Poole college returned to pass on some of his expertise to the next generation of performing stars.

Earl Carpenter, who has appeared in Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables and Evita amongst many others, dropped in to the Jellicoe Theatre at Bournemouth and Poole College's Lower Constitution Hill Campus, to speak to some of the first year performing arts students.

Rupert Barrington, manager of the Jellicoe Theatre, said: "He was with us for around two hours as he is an ex-student and so he wanted to come back and have a look around the theatre before it closes and moves to the new site this year.

"He is going to be patron of our new building alongside Amanda Holden, as everyone who studies theatre at the college is very thankful of the theatre.

"He talked about the practicalities of the industry, his career and its longevity, which spans over 20 years in the West End, Broadway and around the world, how to get agents and complete applications and what his favourite roles were.

"He said that he loves Les Mis and he also spoke about how he viewed the industry at the moment, the movie adaptations that are being made from theatre productions and finally he posed for a couple of pics with the students.

"The students are on their first year of their foundation degree studying contemporary theatre performance, musical theatre and contemporary dance and so they were hanging off his every word."

He added that Mr Carpenter's advice was very relevant to the course and very much along the colleges' guidelines of transferring the student's studies into the working world.

The site of the Jellicoe Theatre on Lower Constitution Hill has been purchased by Borough of Poole in a deal worth £1.9million to the Bournemouth and Poole College .

The college is currently undertaking a £11million building programme, which will see theatre students have use of a contemporary 136-seat performing arts theatre, to host some of the 22 productions hosted in the theatre every year.

New facilities for other students will also include a digital media centre and new laboratories for health and medical sciences, with the work due to be completed on the new build by September.

A closing ceremony for the Jellicoe Theatre is due to held on Sunday, July 5. For more information, go to Thecollege.co.uk