Actor Travis Neale has won the award for Best Youth Actor in a Featured Role in a Play at the Canberra Area Theatre (CAT) Awards.
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Mr Neale received the accolade for his performance as Uncle Fester in Southern Highlands Youth Arts Council's production of the Addams Family.
The 43rd annual CAT Awards held at Llewellyn Hall School of Music in Canberra in late February.
Mr Neale is currently a year 12 student at Moss Vale High School.
From the age of seven Mr Neale has adored being involved in all aspects of the performing arts.
His long history with the Southern Highlands Youth Arts Council (SHYAC) began in 2013 in his first show Honk! Jr.
His other credits include Willow Blues, Conundrum, Alice in Wonderland as the Cheshire Cat, Roald Dahl Trilogy as Prince Charming and in The Addams Family playing everyone's favourite weirdo Uncle Fester in 2018.
Mr Neale said when it came to playing the role of Uncle Fester, he wanted to make the audience adore the character.
"I really wanted to make him as loveable as possible,"
"I wanted to bring the audience in. Even with his oddities I wanted to make the audience relate to him."
Mr Neale said the judges took note of his comfort in the role of Uncle Fester.
"Uncle Fester is a bit weird and really out there," he said.
"I think they liked how I played him without being embarrassed and the fact that I embraced his kooks."
In October 2018. SHYAC did nine shows for The Addams Family which spanned across two weeks.
Mr Neale's school credits include writing, directing and producing four short plays for Moss Vale High School's bi-annual drama night in 2017.
In 2018 he played The Wiz in the school's production The Wiz, recorded his original piano composition for Moss Vale High’s CD Simplicity and was awarded both excellence in composition and excellence in creative and performing arts awards.
Mr Neale is focusing on his HSC this year and hopes to study drama teaching at university.