A LEOMINSTER woman making her debut on the West End stage this summer says it is a 'dream come true'.

Jordan Leigh-Harris, 23, is playing the part of 'The Boy' in the musical adaptation of Lewis Carroll's The Hunting of the Snark.

The former Hereford College of Arts student was chosen for the role after the director, Gemma Coclough, saw her performing in a graduate showcase in London. She was not even required to audition.

Jordan said: "I went to Edinburgh for the run up there with the rest of the team before being asked to do the run at the West End.

"They have taken the poem and made it into a lovely, family musical for anyone aged four and above.

"There are five of us in it and we are on stage pretty much all the time. It's a one-act musical lasting one hour 10 minutes straight through. It's been described as 'Pixar on stage'."

Having known she wanted to perform since a very young age, Jordan is now passionate about helping other young people access the arts, frequently returning to Hereford to help out at the county's colleges.

"I said to my mum, if I don't ever make it in the West End, I'm going to be determined to make sure it's as easy as possible for kids to get into the arts," she said.

"It's 100 per cent important to me to come back and make sure they know even though we live in Hereford it's not a million miles away and it's still achievable."

Rehearsals for The Hunting of the Snark start on July 10 before the run at the Vaudeville Theatre in London's West End starts on July 26. It then goes on a UK tour, stopping at Malvern on October 10 and Abergavenny on October 11.

Jordan added: "I cannot wait. I'm quite frightened at the moment because this is only my second job so I have gone from being a Hereford girl living in Carlisle to now going on a West End stage. I feel a bit out of place but in the best way. It's a total dream come true."

Visit snarkthemusical.com for more information on the show.