The Courtyard Community Company autumn musical Oliver! opens tonight.

Professional actors and members of the creative team are working alongside local acting enthusiasts under director Nikolai Foster and musical director Mark Collins - a recent graduate of Cardiff University who has previously worked on four other productions of Oliver! including playing the title role when he was 13.

Performing in the lead roles will be five professional actors who have extensive experience of performing in large musical theatre productions.

One of the best-known characters in Oliver! is Fagin.

In The Courtyard production, the role will be played by Philip Cox, who has appeared in West End productions of Les Miserables and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Oklahoma at the National Theatre.

Philip (pictured) is looking forward to playing Fagin. "I'm very excited," he said.

"I have wanted to play the character for years - once I'd grown out of the desire to play Dodger!"

Taking on the role of Nancy will be Josie Walker. Josie made her name in musical theatre and received an Olivier award nomination for her performance in the West End hit A Beautiful Game. She has also appeared as Christine in Phantom of the Opera on the West End stage and as Eva Peron in the New Zealand Tour of Evita.

Josie has worked with Nikolai Foster on two previous occasions, including A Streetcar Named Desire at Theatr Clwyd.

Judith Street, who will be playing the role of Widow Corney, has previously appeared in West End shows including The Mikado, Cats and Jesus Christ Superstar. Despite her many performances on the London stage, Judith is a familiar face in Hereford and last year she performed her own play Goodbye Dad locally on behalf of the Hereford Alzheimer's Branch.

Jason Haigh plays the character of Bill Sikes. Jason recognises that after Oliver Reed's portrayal of the character in the 1968 film he will have a lot to live up to.

He said: "Oliver Reed immortalised the role. I hope to serve the character well and as I'm not inherently malevolent, I look forward to exploring this!"

The role of Mr Bumble, the self-important beadle, will be played by Peter Edbrook. Peter has previously appeared in Fiddler on the Roof, Annie and Sweeny Todd in the West End and has made several television appearances including Emmerdale, A Touch of Frost and The Bill.

Local children will be appearing in the production alongside the professionals as orphans and Fagin's gang, as well as taking the main roles of Oliver and Dodger.

Oliver! opens at The Courtyard tonight (Thursday) and runs to September 24. To book, call the box office on 0870 1122330.