A FORMER Darlington man who began his career as a stagehand at the Civic Theatre 25 years ago is back in the town this week, as producer of a major stage play.

Ian Stephenson is the producer of The Diary of Anne Frank, which is playing at the theatre all this week.

Originally from Newcastle, Ian moved to Darlington when he was nine, and made his first visit to the theatre shortly after that.

He said: "Soon it was a case of every Monday night, come rain or shine, there I would be, sitting in the stalls.

"I pestered Peter Tod, the theatre director at the time, so much that it was easier for him to give me something to do, rather than him to keep saying 'no'."

Ian worked at weekends and holidays at the theatre, trying his hand at everything from being a stagehand to helping the bar and cellar man.

He said: "I did so many different things at the theatre - there was no course which could have given me all the experience and different tasks that working there did.

"It was really exciting to see the theatre going from having about six to ten per cent audience capacity over the year to 85 per cent business, especially when I was still so young."

Ian was 21 when he left, and became involved in administration and publicity, but he was drawn back to the production side.

He has returned to work at the theatre only twice since then, but this is his first time back as a producer.

Ian said: "The audiences in Darlington have been responding fantastically.