A SOLO speech by a Pembrokeshire drama student has won her a second place in a global online acting competition.

Ruby Wilson, aged 16, from Narberth was one of just 70 thespians to reach the finals of The Monologue Games, which attracted 3,000 entries worldwide.

The contest was set up in March by an Australian playwright and monologue coach to enable actors to keep honing their craft in front of an audience while the coronavirus pandemic continued.

Ruby was a finalist in the competition's youth category, where she performed last Saturday night. The results were announced yesterday, Wednesday October 28.

Her monologue, about the anger felt after a difficult break-up worldwide, was co-written with her friend Euan Sinclair.

The category winner was Sami Hatem from Syria and third was Estee-Mari Smit from South Africa.

Ruby said her runner-up spot was 'a huge shock - but in the best way possible'.

She added: “I still can’t believe I even got into the globals in the first place, let alone being the only European in the top three."

Ruby, who is a drama student at Pembrokeshire College, started acting at the age of seven with the Torch Youth Theatre in Milford Haven.

For the last five years, she has trained with The Young Actors Studio, which is part of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

Monologue Games founder Pete Malicki said there had been great excitement about the event, which he founded in response to Covid and the impact that “very quickly and very evidently had on the arts and entertainment industries”.

He added: “I’ve been flooded with emails from actors telling me it’s the highlight of their year.”

See monologues.com.au/WMG