A five-year-old stole the show at Oxford's New Theatre over the weekend in his first stage performance.

Young Jir Sancar, of Colwell Drive, Witney, is the youngest actor to appear with the international opera company, Ellen Kent.

The Queen's Dyke Primary School pupil kept his nerve and received rapturous applause from an audience of more than 1,600 after his stage debut.

Jir, who played the part of Sorrow for performances of Madama Butterfly on Friday and Saturday, was one of four young Oxford thespians in the cast of the Puccini's classic opera - staged by Ukranian National Opera of Odessa.

The novice actor, who attends Stagecoach Theatre Arts Oxford, in Headington, was cast as the son of Butterfly - the eponymous Japanese girl who falls in love with a double-dealing American naval lieutenant.

Jir, who has been taking acting lessons since he was four, was joined in the production by Thomas Truscott, seven, Lara Horwood, nine, and Abigail Daniels, eight, who all attend the same Oxford stage school.

Maya Sprigg, principal of the stage school, said: "I'm immensely proud of Jir.

"He'd never even been on stage in his life before. It's such a big role. It's an extraordinary feat.

"It's an emotional story and there were lots of people crying in the audience. The reaction when he came out for the curtain call was just amazing. He got one of the biggest cheers.

"The production was so polished it meant the children had to have a professional attitude and be attentive at all times.

"There was not much speaking, but Jir had a lot of cues and stage directions to follow.

"It was a very lonely role because he spent a lot of his time on stage on his own.

"He's a talented little performer. It takes a lot of guts to be on stage at such a young age."

Jir's father, Yakup, 33, said: "Jir enjoyed it so much and the whole family were so proud of what he'd done."

Jir said: "I enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun. I wasn't scared."