THE Marshall family are to the fore, or should that be four, in York Opera's production of Gilbert & Sullivan's The Sorcerer at York Theatre Royal next week.

Clive Marshall, who has directed many productions for the group, is playing Sir Marmaduke Pointdextre. His wife, York Opera co-founder Pauline Chadwick, is the producer; daughter Frances, 19, is starring as Aline, and son Roger, 17, can be spotted in the chorus.

For Frances, Aline will be her first major role for the group since joining in 1998, having previously sung smaller parts such as Celia in Iolanthe and performed in Home For Christmas 1944.

She will be on familiar territory at the Theatre Royal, where she has spent the past nine months on a gap-year placement after leaving Bootham School last summer.

"I've learnt an enormous amount since the autumn. I may have grown up with the amateur scene since I was little, through my parents' involvement, but it is a world apart from professional theatre," says Frances, who has worked in stage management, the box office and switchboard, the marketing and publicity department and with the sound, lighting and electrics team.

"In amateur theatre everyone cares deeply about what they're doing but in professional theatre, it really matters to everyone: every department has to pull their weight for each other to make it the best possible show."

Frances begins a drama degree at Hull University this autumn with ambitions to become a professional actress: ambitions fuelled partly by her enjoyment of working with director Gregory Doran, the golden boy of the Royal Shakespeare Company, when she played the Virgin Mary in the York Millennium Mystery Plays last summer in York Minster.

"It was amazing, unbeatable: a wonderful director, a fantastic venue, 1,000 people watching every show; you can't get better than that!" she says

"I can't ever imagine doing anything like that again, and I wish it could have gone on for another two months. It got better and better over the month and it was such a good experience I wanted it to continue, which is a good sign as I want to make this my professional career."

How apt that Frances should be singing Happy Young Heart next week in The Sorcerer: it sums up perfectly her summertime mood as she looks forward her biggest York Opera role so far and to the joys of university this autumn.

- LOOK out too for John Soper and Richard Burton in The Sorcerer.

York Opera regular and founder member John will be playing the lead role of John Wellington Wells, the Sorcerer, after a gap of 30 years since first performing it.

Meanwhile, Richard - a former music teacher to Frances Marshall, incidentally - has stepped in to take over the part of Alexis at only three weeks' notice.

The Sorcerer, York Opera, York Theatre Royal, July 10 to 14, 7.30pm. Box office: 01904 623568.