ESCONDIDO - After getting his start in stage production in the drama club at one of Escondido's high schools, Omar Yanez is making the jump to a much larger theater and international audience.

The 24-year-old is one of two dozen students - and the first Mexican national - chosen from a pool of more than 7,000 international applicants who will be heading off to start a three-year program at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London in September.

The performing arts school, which is widely considered by actors and industry professionals to be one of the top acting schools, has turned out such acclaimed actors as Ewan McGregor, Alfred Molina, Orlando Bloom and Daniel Craig.

"It feels really weird because you know you see these great actors and you start questioning … Wow, I'm on that level, or at least as far as being able to receive the training," the 2006 Cal State San Marcos graduate said.

Reaching his current level of performance abilities and acting skills, Yanez said, has not come without a lot of hard work and many sacrifices. In the last three years he has given up time with friends to rehearse monologues, recite scenes and attend several hourlong workshops that focus on everything from dance and building stage presence to genre-specific techniques, he said.

"Omar is a very strong and very, very smart man," his mother, Amparo Gonzalez, said. "He's following his heart and he's pursuing his career."

"I'm sure that this is going to be good, not just for our family, but for other families in our community," she added. "He is an example for a lot of kids. If you put your heart and mind into something you can accomplish it."

Yanez, who moved to Escondido from Mexico City when he was in elementary school, said he began exploring his interest in theatre while at Orange Glen High School. He performed in a couple of smaller productions and spent most of his time working backstage on costumes and props, he said.

It wasn't until he started studying at Cal State San Marcos, however, that he really was able to dive into the field and learn what was necessary to make a career out of acting. In the past several years, he said, he has performed in about 10 plays and filled many leading roles in campus productions and elsewhere.

"So far, I think I've done a little bit of everything," he said, smiling. "Comedy, drama, political ones."

Although not a graduate of the university's Visual and Performing Arts Program - Yanez graduated with a degree in criminology and criminal justice - he is one of several students who have dedicated their free time to developing their theater skills in the growing program.

With just about 250 majors in the program, eight of whom have a concentration in theater, there is a lot of opportunity for one-on-one attention, the program's director, Marcus Martinez, said. The university has also started inviting foreign actors to the campus to host acting and performance workshops, providing a different view point on the art form.

"We can give people a quality of attention that they might not get in another program," Martinez said. "For those people who want to work, there are opportunities here.

"(Omar has) an ability to look at the situation and then adjust accordingly," Martinez said. "I think that makes him a natural."

- Contact staff writer Shayna Chabner at (760) 740-5416 or schabner@nctimes.com.