A BOLTON actress is a star in an Oscar Wilde classic which will be performed by a new theatre company.

Keziah Lockwood, aged 29, is currently in rehearsals for An Ideal Husband where she plays Mabel Chiltern after impressing producer Sam Hart at auditions.

Grand Dame Theatre, a community-based professional theatre company, is staging its debut production in September, directed by Kerry Kawai and Aimee Smiles.

The play is a cutting comedy which revolves around blackmail and political corruption.

The former Mount St Josephs pupil says she has had criticism in the past about her choice of career, with many saying she should get a "proper job".

Miss Lockwood, who was born in Heaton, said: "I have always wanted to act since I was a child. I wasn't very good academically at school, but I had a really supportive mother who let me have acting lessons and soon realised I wanted to do it as a career.

"I had a lot of people saying to me that I couldn't do acting and that I should get a proper job. But I'm quite stubborn and that just spurred me on to do it.

"I've not done a lot of Oscar Wilde before so I jumped at the chance to do this. It's been fantastic seeing it all come together."

The theatre's projects are aimed to give local communities thought provoking drama through accessible theatre.

Mr Hart said: "It's been quite daunting and there have been times where it's been really challenging and we've shed a lot of blood sweat and tears — but it's rewarding to have something to call our own."

An Ideal Husband will run at Salford Arts Centre on September 24, 25 and 26.

For tickets and information, visit salfordartstheatre.com/whats-on