YORK company Theatre Mill's first production of 2015 will be Nick Lane's stage adaptation of The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde.

Robert Louis Stevenson’s turbulent gothic tale will be presented in a hidden undercroft at the Merchant Adventurers' Hall, in Fossgate, from February 26 to March 22, when Dr Jekyll will seek to change not only the face of science but the world in the belief that one must risk madness to achieve genius. However, in seeking to discover his inner self, the brilliant scientist instead discovers a monster.

"Set in the heart of Victorian London, this mesmerising thriller is a terrifying study of the duality of man’s nature," says producer Rebecca Stafford. "We shall uncover a city fraught with divisions and a scientist’s home invaded by strange and mysterious forces. One man's journey in pursuit of the truth will lead you into the dark recesses of the human mind; only the powerful bonds of friendship will save us all."

Director Samuel Wood is holding auditions this week, having previously directed such Theatre Mill shows as Oscar Wilde's The Importance Of Being Earnest in the York Mansion House last July, Agatha Christie's Witness For The Prosecution in the York Guildhall Council Chamber last April and Max Gee's adaptation of Sherlock Holmes And The Speckled Band at Treasurer's House in November 2013.

Doncaster playwright and director Nick Lane's plays have been premiered regularly at Hull Truck Theatre and York Theatre Royal and by Sheffield company Reform Theatre too. His work varies from impish children's shows, such as Little Red Riding Hood and A Christmas Carol, to astute stage adaptations of George Orwell's 1984 and D H Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover and diverse original plays Me And My Dad, Seconds Out and Housebound.

Tickets for February and March's 7.30pm evening performances and 2.30pm Saturday and Sunday matinees go on sale tomorrow at £20 to £25 on 01904 623568 or at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk