1 November 2011

Please note: this news article is in our archive. Articles were correct at time of publication, but should not be relied on for accuracy after the passage of time.

IT may not have been quite as frantic as the search for Scarlett O’Hara, but finding the right actor to play opposite Snow White at Chequer Mead this Christmas has caused The Company of Friends some sleepless nights in recent weeks.

However their south-east wide search was richly rewarded when they spotted talented Nick Gibb at a recent drama workshop in Kenley which he has been attending for the past nine years.

Nick (who has yet to have a cast photo taken in costume) modestly declined to rate his good looks, but his mum says he is "very handsome" – which will please Abbie Lomax who will play his eponymous panto princess.

Nick, a former pupil of Caterham School, is in his second year at Reigate College. As well as drama, he loves sport and hopes to take a year out after college to qualify as a ski instructor in Quebec.

* SNOW White will be playing at Chequer Mead throughout the Christmas period. For full details of times and ticket prices, contact the theatre box office on 01342 302000.