A PANTOMIME star has launched an appeal to take her acting career to the next level.

Twenty-six-year-old West Linton actress Carlyn Gibb, who is fluent in three languages, has been awarded a guaranteed unconditional place, one of ten available, to study for an Master of the Arts degree in Musical Theatre at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama (RWCMD).

RWCMD opened a state of the art training college, costing more than £20 million three-years-ago, and its MA is one of the most highly prized drama qualifications.

Carlyn needs to raise £13,000 for fees and about £7,000 for general living costs when she attends the college named as the best in the UK for drama training in a national newspaper survey last year.

“I am the exception to the rule, I did not study for a first degree and have been accepted on merit based on my acting experience,” Carlyn told The Peeblesshire News.

So far Carlyn is quarter of the way to her target with £5,000 saved from part-time work as a personnal assistant at the Edinburgh office of UK property firm Knight Frank.

Carlyn’s first major role was eight years ago, aged 18, as Cinderella at Edinburgh’s Kings Theatre, which she followed with nearly four years of roles at Disneyland Paris including Walt Disney’s The Little Mermaid and as dancer Ariel in Mickey’s Magical Celebration.

However, this year her pantomime options are limited as the RWCMD course starts on January 12, 2015.

“I am waiting to hear from casting agent Rip Fort for this year,” said Carlyn, “But it is getting a bit late now as the panot season is about to begin, and with the course date just less than three months away, I have less options for acting roles.” Never short of ideas Carlyn has an eBay auction page where she lists lists limited edition Disney pins and collectibles from her time at the French resort.

In a bid to boost her funds further Carlyn is staging a concert to about 50 people, at the end of November in Stewart’s Melville Schools in Edinburgh. and plans to hold a raffle.

Tickets for the concert are priced £8 and can be obtained by emailing: info@carlyegibb.com In an unusual twist to find an ultimate raffle prize, she has started a Twitter trade-up scheme beginning from a paperclip. So far more than 400 people have joined the tweet at @paperclipfund, firstly the paperclip was traded to a free manicure and is currently a donated bottle of Speyside malt.

Carlyn has worked professionally throughout Scotland, playing Wendy in the Christmas productions of both Aberdeen’s HM Theatre and Eden Court in Inverness, at four Edinburgh Fringe productions and is currently specialising in tap dancing.

Speaking about other types of funding which might be available Carlyn said: “There’s absolutely no possibility of getting normal student funding for a masters, even though I have not had a loan before, because, although nominally it is a one year course, it might extend.

“However, last night I put two applications in the post to Barclays and the Co-op Bank for Career Development Loans, which help people take their ambitions further.” To find out more about Carlyn’s stage success see her website at www.carlynegibb.com or to take part in the trading scheme go to her twitter site at @paperclipfund