A SINGER-songwriter is looking forward to taking centre stage at a theatre where he used to work as a cloakroom attendant.

Adrian Morgan Hopper, from Bishop Auckland, County Durham, worked at the Gala Theatre, in Durham City, for about six months shortly after the 500-seat venue opened.

Now he is returning, but this time as part of the entertainment, as he is one of the acts lined up for a week of performances in the theatre's Blue Room later this year.

"It will be like a homecoming,'' said Mr Hopper, who plays acoustic guitar and whose stage name is Morgan. "When I was working here, I used to watch bands like Lindisfarne and I knew where I wanted to go. Nobody used to like doing the cloakroom duty, but I volunteered for it and nobody could understand why, but I was writing songs.''

After playing pubs, Morgan has moved to venues such as the Darlington Arts Centre and The Studio, in Hartlepool.

Morgan, who is often accompanied by Darlington brothers Anthony and Chris Davison on lead guitar and drums, has released an album, The Boy From Anywhere, and is working on a second.

The trio will play on Thursday, November 3, at 7.45pm, and tickets cost £6, £4 concessions, and are available from the box office on 0191-332 4041.

The Blue Room week, part of the theatre's autumn programme, runs from Friday, October 28 and will include Latino band Mas Y Mas, a performance by the Gala Stage School, stand-up comedian Stewart Lee, a poetry night and a showcase of short films by North-East makers.