COULD you be the star of a unique theatre show taking place at Poole’s Rossmore Leisure Centre from November 16-18 ?

That’s the question asked by the producers of Take On Me, a site-specific play which includes a cast of local people playing the roles of various characters.

Set in the 1980s world of headbands and legwarmers, Take On Me follows a lonely woman coming to the gym for the first time and a lifeguard who has never saved anyone.

During the performances, musicians belt out live versions of classic 80s hits such as Faith, What A Feeling, I Wanna Dance With Somebody, Love Will Tear us Apart and of course, A-Ha’s Take On Me. The audience is led through the changing rooms, the gym, an aerobics class and finally to the pool as the story unfolds.

Producers Dante or Die, in partnership with Lighthouse, Poole’s Centre for the Arts, are seeking a talented male performer to play one of the key roles – that of Dan – a Leisure Centre user and fan of Frankie Goes to Hollywood..

“Many of the roles for local people have been snapped up but we still need to find someone to play Dan. We are looking for a male actor in his mid-20s to mid-40s from the local community who has some level of performing experience, perhaps on an amateur and non-professional level,” explains Local Community Co-Ordinator for Dante or Die, Gemma Alldred. “The character of Dan is a key role in the play with quite a few lines across two scenes; he’s a friendly, chatty guy who feels comfortable with who he is, he goes to the gym but isn’t necessarily toned or super-fit, and he loves listening to music and going to concerts.”

Anybody interested in playing the role of Dan is invited to contact Gemma at gemma@danteordie.com. The performances take place at Rossmore Leisure Centre from 16 - 18 November, with rehearsals at various times from 13 – 18 November.

In addition to its guest cast and crew of local heroes, Take On Me features actress Fiona Watson as Lisa and Eleanor Isherwood, George Hicks and Sophie Gunn are the musicians. Each performance of Take on Me will have integrated BSL communication by Dante or Die’s Access Associate, Sophie.Gunn.

Take On Me is the winner of Arts Partnership Surrey & Farnham Maltings ‘Not For the Likes of Me’ commission and was seed funded by Harlow Playhouse . It is funded by Big Lottery Fund, Garfied Weston Foundation and the Arts Council England’s Strategic Touring Fund, which champions new ways of reaching people who don’t regularly engage with the arts.

The production is presented in partnership with Lighthouse, Creative Arts East, Ideas Test, The Lowry, Ealing Council and South Street. It was first performed in a mini tour across leisure centres in Surrey in 2016.