A POPULAR Keighley actor will perform with professionals in a new production of classic play A View From The Bridge.

Mike Ellison will be in the community cast alongside stars American actor Michael Brandon as they present Arthur Miller’s gripping drama.

Mike regularly treads the boards at Keighley Playhouse and has performed three times in the play on the amateur stage.

He also won praise for his recent performance with the Playhouse in Edwardian comedy When We Are Married.

A View From The Bridge will be presented by the Touring Consortium Theatre Company to celebrate the centenary of Arthur Miller’s birth.

Mike answered an invitation from the theatre company for amateur actors in each area where the play would appear, to join the professional cast and perform in ensemble scenes.

Mike said: “On the first day there were about 100 auditionees applying to be in the ensemble.

“The final eight were announced from a shortlist of 20, and I am proud to say when I heard the news, I was delighted to have been successful.”

A View From The Bridge is set in the dangerous world of New York’s Brooklyn harbour during the 1950s where the immigrant dockworkers and longshoremen lived and worked.

Michael Brandon, who became famous in the UK during the 1980s in cop series 1980s Dempsey and Makepeace, stars as the play’s narrator Alfieri.

Mike said: "To be part of a national touring production and appear on one of West Yorkshire's treasured stages, with the much-respected actor Michael Brandon is a fantastic opportunity.

“A View From The Bridge is a the dark and passionate tale, that's still hailed as one of the great classics of our time."

A View From The Bridge will be performed at Bradford Alhambra from March 31 to April 4. Visit bradford-theatres.co.uk or call 01274 432000 to book tickets.