WHEN the curtain goes up on It’s a Family Affair at Cardiff’s Sherman Theatre on September 25, Newport theatre goers may spot a familiar face in the cast.

Gareth Tempest, 21, originally hails from Malpas and has featured in several local productions over the years.

Gareth got bitten by the performance bug after he sang Brown Eyed Girl at a Year 5 show; he later joined Newport’s Young Venture Players and featured in Les Miserables.

He has since come through acting school at Bristol Old Vic’s Theatre School and will shortly be seen on the Sherman Theatre stage as manservant Tishka in Simon Crowther’s adaptation of Alexander Ostrovsky’s irreverent comedy, It’s A Family Affair…(We’ll Settle It Ourselves), a play about greed, vanity, and cash flow in hard times.

Written in 1849 by Russian playwright Alexander Ostrovsky, it was banned for a number of years, its satirical take on Moscow’s commercial class seen as a gross affront to their good name.

The story centres on aging merchant Bolshov. With the creditors at his door, and a daughter in need of a dowry, bankruptcy’s the only game in town. And so, with the help of his crafty clerk, drunken lawyer, and Moscow’s flightiest matchmaker, he resolves to free up some cash.

Gareth is “really excited”about his first major role as man-servant Tishka.

“It’s quite a demanding and fairly physical role” he told Andy Howells, “but it’s great to perform alongside such accomplished actors to see how they work.”

Gareth will feature on stage alongside Sian Reeves, William Thomas, Ri Richards, Lee Mengo and another new acting talent, Rachel Redfo.

“It’s a luxury to play in a great production,” said Gareth, “and I’m looking forward to exploring more roles in the future.”

The show runs from September 25 – October 12, 7.30pm.

For more information and tickets phone 029 2064 6900 or visit www.shermancymru.co.uk There is a post show talk on 3 October and captioned performance on 5 October.