WITH family connections in St Davids and now living in Haverfordwest, former Pembrokeshire College student Zoe Wale is Deputy Stage Manager at the Torch Theatre, Milford Haven, for its in-house autumn production of The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Having studied Performing Arts at Pembrokeshire College and Production Arts at Coleg Sir Gâr, Llanelli, Zoe then studied Stage Management and Technical Theatre at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff.

Zoe said: “It's lovely to be back living here. I used to come every year on holidays to see my family and I took part in amateur dramatic groups here at the Torch. I worked as an Assistant Stage Manager last year when the Torch put on Turn of the Screw and it’s like I’ve gone full circle.

“I love being in the rehearsal room from the beginning to end and seeing all the elements coming together, from paper to platform. You have to be on the ball and being in my role gives me a nice adrenaline rush, added Zoe whose uncle, Paul, who worked at the Torch over 35 years ago.”

She added, with a grin: “The Torch Theatre is just so lovely. I remember looking backstage at the crew and thinking how do I do it, how do I go about being part of the team? And now, here I am!”

When reflecting on how Zoe got here, she comments, “Advice I would give anyone wanting to get in the industry is to volunteer in amateur dramatic groups, get stuck in and believe in yourself that you will get there one day”.

“Everyone is lovely – the whole team and being here, working in Pembrokeshire, feels like home. Everyone is local and the sense of community is evident. The choice of production is really good, so comedic. I think audiences need a pick me up with so much going on in the world and this production ticks all the boxes,” said Zoe.

The Hound of the Baskervilles can be seen on the Torch Theatre stage for a strictly limited run from Wednesday, October 7 to Saturday, October 17. BSL Interpreted Performance: October 13 at 7.30pm. For tickets, call 01646 695267 or visit torchtheatre.co.uk .