A BOLTON man who manages a star-producing theatre in Manchester has spoke of his excitement for the future, after steadying the ship and working through the pandemic.

Prab Singh, from Westhoughton, is the managing director of the North West Theatre Arts Company in Moston, which has seen its show grind to a halt over the last 15 months due to the pandemic.

The theatre has more than 60 students, including dozens of children, on its books, some of which are being groomed for stardom.

Some of the theatre's students and alumni have gone on to perform on the West End and in shows such as Coronation Street and Hollyoaks.

With students unable to rehearse due to the pandemic, Prab employed online sessions, so that students were all good to go once the theatre's doors re-opened.

He said: "We saw a few partners go under at the start of the pandemic and we knew that there would be tough times ahead for us.

"Pretty much straight away we began online training sessions, so that the students could learn their parts for the first show back. It has worked incredibly well and people are excited to get back to it.

"I saw (Andrew) Lloyd-Webber saying how performers would need time to rehearse and I was like; 'have you not been doing that during lockdown?'"

The 84-seat capacity theatre is welcoming audiences back with a showing of Hairspray later this month.

And Prab said that the theatre company has done all it can to ensure a smooth transition back to normality.

He said: "We will make sure that all of the kids, adults and guests are safe when they get back.

"We will have the safety measures in place to ensure that everyone feels safe and protected.

"Everyone is excited to get back into the theatre. The home rehearsals have gone great and I would say we didn't just survive Covid - we thrived in it."

For more information on the theatre company and to book tickets, visit northwesttheatreartscompany.co.uk.