PELICAN Playhouse's latest production, There Goes the Bride, helps showcase some of the theatrical talent that is here in the Clarence.

Among the cast is Doug Hall.

While he has only been living in the area for the 18 months, Doug has a wealth of experience in both professional and amateur theatre.

Pelican Playhouse members said they were very lucky to have an actor of this calibre to "tread the boards" in their latest show.

Doug's pedigree was honed in the ultimate playground for thespians, the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA).

He was admitted in a second intake and graduated with a scholarship from the Elizabethan Theatre Trust.

It was the early 1960s and Doug found himself studying his craft alongside fellow newcomers like Carmen Duncan and Jeanie Drynan who went onto become Australian acting fixtures across many different platforms.

Doug has enjoyed a very interesting and varied acting career, including working on television alongside well-known Australian actor Stuart Wagstaff.

He has also worked with the Tivoli Theatre, appearing in Paris By Night which played both in Sydney and Melbourne.

Other performance highlights include three years touring with The Black & White Minstrel Show both in Australia and New Zealand as well as playing Ginger Mick in The Sentimental Bloke which toured the regional areas of Australia.

Doug also played in the Music Hall in Neutral Bay for five years. He then moved to Bathurst and continued his acting in amateur theatre with lead roles in musical productions such as My Fair Lady, Showboat and South Pacific.

Doug and his wife Margaret, also a NIDA graduate, moved to Grafton from Katoomba last year to be closer to children and grandchildren and enjoy the warmer climate of the Clarence Valley.

Theatre goers can see Doug when he makes his Clarence Valley debut in the Ray Cooney and John Chapman comedy There Goes The Bride which opens at the Pelican Playhouse on Friday night (April 28) and continues to May 7.

Bookings are advisable and can be made at South Grafton News & Gifts Skinner St, South Grafton.