FRESH out of drama school, a talented actress is causing a stir on a Bolton stage.

The Octagon Theatre's production of Hindle Wakes opened on Thursday with Natasha Davidson appearing as strong-willed mill worker Fanny Hawthorn.

The funny and spirited play, which is on until March 21, follows Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge, in which she played naïve Catherine.

The 22-year-old has relished tackling the two very different roles, with both earning her praise from audiences and critics alike.

Hindle Wakes, written by Stanley Houghton and first performed in 1912, was considered to be hugely controversial as it rejected outdated attitudes and championed the role of women as they embarked on a new era of independence and freedom.

It tells the story of mill worker Fanny and mill owner’s son Alan Jeffcote who spend a weekend in Llandudno and, upon their return, find their secret has been uncovered with plenty of explaining to be done to both sets of disapproving parents, as well as Alan’s fiancée Beatrice.

Natasha, from Doncaster, said: "What's interesting is the way every different person in society is apparent in the play.

"Barbara (Drennan), who plays Mrs Jeffcote, she is really prim and proper but she has come from this working class background.

"She still thinks little of Fanny even though she comes from this background.

"She believes men wear the trousers and support their husbands.

"My mum, as in Mrs Hawthorn, is so similar to Fanny. They are both so fiery but they also have got completely opposing views on women and what women should do."

Natasha says, since the play opened, some audiences members have been vocal in showing their approval, cheering when her character delivers lines to Alan such as: "Love you? Good heavens, of course not! Why on earth should I love you? You were just someone to have a bit of fun with. You were an amusement — a lark."

Natasha said: "It's not that Alan is some dim-witted idiot, that is what he genuinely believed.

"That is what they were brought up to believe. Men were seen as better in society as women.

"To Fanny it's just well, if you can look at me like that, why can't I look at you like that? We're all human.

"I don't see Fanny as this woman who feels wronged, she is just a human being a human and saying, yes, I wanted to have sex without having to marry you.

"The audiences have been fantastic, they absolutely love it."

She added: "I think it's still there — we were having this conversation on Monday.

"If a woman goes out and has fun and enjoys herself with men she is viewed differently than if a man does it.

"It's still there, that's why this play works because it's still relevant today."

Natasha studied performing arts and drama at college before applying for drama school, for which she was initially rejected and ended up working in a cafe for a year.

She said: "It just made me want it even more."

She landed a place on a three-year course at ALRA Drama School in Wigan before her first professional job at Oldham Coliseum and then the Octagon.

Comparing her roles in A View from the Bridge and Hindle Wakes, she said: "It's just completely different.

"Catherine was strong in her own way but she had this really naive and innocent side to her.

"Fanny totally knows what she wants and what's going on. She understands these rich manufacturers and the amount of money that they waste.

"I think she would intimidate me a little bit.

"She is so blunt but I totally agree with everything she stands for."

Hindle Wakes is at the Octagon until Saturday, March 21.