Joseph Ayre has stepped straight out of BA Acting at East 15 Acting School and into the limelight at the Gielguld Theatre where he’s playing the lead role in the National Theatre’s Olivier and Tony Award-winning production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

Joseph Ayre in rehearsal

Joseph, from Hull, said: “I’m so excited about playing Christopher Boone and taking on the challenge of one of the most complex and interesting characters in the West End. This is my first acting job out of drama school and taking on this role with the National Theatre really is a dream come true for me.”

Joseph’s final year at East 15 has been littered with accolades. In March 2016 he won the prestigious Carleton Hobbs Bursary, which earned him a contract with BBC Radio Drama. In April he was selected to represent East 15 at the Sam Wanamaker Festival at the Shakespeare’s Globe, where The Stage’s Susan Elkin reported that “he held the audience in the palm of his hand.”

The doors to Graduation 2016 open on 12 July. 4,691 students will graduate, bringing the number of Essex graduates, since 1964, to more than 93,000.

Each and every one of our 2016 graduates has had a life-changing experience. They have risen to the challenge of developing a research mindset, they have been involved in clubs, societies and volunteering, and they have grasped opportunities.

We can’t tell all their stories but our Graduating 2016 student profiles shine a light on the individual experiences that make the Essex family inclusive, international and inspiring.