CHARLOTTE Bronte's classic novel Jane Eyre is brought to the stage in Woolston with a dramatisation by Helen Jerome performed by the Dalian Players.

Making her debut as a leading lady is 21 year-old Nichola Poore who plays the title role of Jane.

Nichola has been with the Dalian Players for a year and is enjoying the challenge of playing Jane, a part that demands her to be on stage most of the time.

Despite the commitment of training to be a teacher, the learning support assistant at Ludlow Junior School in Itchen has mastered the huge amount of lines by listening to them in her car driving to and from work.

"I really miss the radio in the morning," says Nichola, "but the tape technique has been a great way of absorbing the text."

As well as lines, Nichola needed to learn to portray the very lady-like behaviour that her character exhibits.

She said: "Jane is so demure and I am not generally that ladylike."

The budding actress will have the opposite issue in her next role which sees her playing principal boy Jack in the panto Jack and the Beanstalk.

"I'm probably more a Jack than a Jane!" says Nichola.

Woolston Methodist Hall until October 23. Performances: 7.30pm. Tickets: £4. Box office: 023 8043 8596.