'I will roar you as gently as any sucking dove; I will roar you as ‘twere any nightingale’ - any Shakespeare fan will no exactly which fool says this line. It's Nick Bottom of course, the character from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, who is Harry Mackie’s favourite character to play.

“He’s a loveable fool that gets himself into ridiculous situations,” says the 21-year-old from Watford. “I first performed this role as a young teenager when my school took part in the Shakespeare’s School Festival.

“I will never forget speaking to my family after the show and seeing my Grandma had been crying with laughter after Bottom hopelessly tries to act in the play within a play towards the end of the comedy.”

It was this role, alongside Harry’s teachers, Anna Higson and Lucy Bevis at St Michael’s Catholic High School in Garston, that sparked his passion for performing in Shakespeare plays. Fast forward a few years and now Harry has received a scholarship to partake in a rigorous six week training programme at the prestigious Shakespeare Academy in Connecticut.

The Academy is based in a large house in Elm Street, which once housed the American Shakespeare Festival Theatre and it is also the very place that Katharine Hepburn, Paul Newman and Jessica Tandy brought their magic to the work of Shakespeare.

The building had fallen into disrepair but in 2013 The Mighty Quinn Foundation put plans in motion that would bring Shakespeare training back to the grounds. In July 2014 the Shakespeare Academy opened its doors welcoming young actors from around the country and abroad for the first time in decades.

Harry, who has now been in Connecticut for a month, admits that it has been an amazing opportunity for him.

“Amongst rehearsing for the two shows at the end of the programme, we’ve had some fantastic masterclasses from Christopher Bayes on clowns, Alexander techniques by Joan Frost and Miller voice methods from Tia James.

“I’ve also got to know the other 13 members of the cast and worked with inspiring and talented directors, and we’ve travelled as an ensemble to see various shows and readings.”

When asked why he enjoys performing Shakespeare roles so much, Harry tells me: “I think most people are put off by Shakespeare due to the difficult language that is removed from how we communicate now, 400 years later. I find great satisfaction in decoding this language and trusting it to influence my character and how I act in every performance, as it really takes care of itself. I think good writing gives so much to an actor that little work has to be done, and Shakespeare’s writing of course is the best.”

The youngster, who works at the Warner Bros Studio Tour - The Making of Harry Potter whenever he is back in Watford, recently graduated from the University of Sussex with a degree in English and Drama - and in fact, it was his friends and tutors who encouraged him to apply for the training programme.

“The course was advertised within my drama department at the University of Sussex, and a lot of my friends suggested I apply as they knew I was a huge fan of Shakespeare. Thanks to my wonderful drama tutor Bill McEvoy, I had a strong application and within a few weeks I found out I’d been accepted.”

Despite being a huge fan of the theatre from a young age, acting wasn’t always on the career list for Harry, who has a twin brother.

“I actually wanted to be a lawyer for a long time, before I had an unfortunate work experience week at a small claims court in Watford,” he admits.

“The paperwork and endless small cases were really unappealing. It was then that I realised it was the acting involved in being a lawyer which is what I loved, as I imagined standing in courts shouting “objection!” at each other and figuring out whether a defendant is lying or not.

“I never studied it as a subject at school, but always took part in any performances that were available to me.

“I definitely regret not taking it as a subject, which I think I regretted almost immediately as my twin brother was in the drama class and it seemed like an obvious choice for me, but one that I missed.”

After the academy Harry is hoping to work for a year in Brighton, before applying to study a master’s degree at a drama school in London.

For details on the Shakespeare Academy click here.