A TALENTED young actress is set to return to the borough she calls home as part of her first professional tour.

Alicia Marsden, 22, originally of Chester Drive, Ramsbottom, was a Woodhey High School and Holy Cross College pupil before moving to Dartford, London, to study at a prestigious drama school. She is currently touring the UK with the production ‘My Brother the Robot’, a child-friendly show which is set to entertain audiences at Bury’s The Met theatre tomorrow.

A classical singer, Alicia is also a gifted music-ian, playing flute, saxophone, piccolo, recorder and clarinet – so a degree in Actor Musician-ship from Rose Bruford College came naturally.

She said: “My course was the only one in the country which combines live musicianship train-ing with acting.

“I was one of 13 students studying and I had to undertake three rounds of auditions to get my place.

“It was highly-regarded in the industry. We all have our own agents now and most people have got professional work.”

Combining musical theatre is one of Alicia’s passions and, in the future, she would love to take part in more actor-musicianship performances.

These are shows in which actors also make up the band, or orchestra on stage.

Alicia added: “They are still relatively new, but I find them very exciting.

“One minute you will be acting, or have dialogue, and the next you will be playing an instrument at the side of the stage.

“A popular example of this sort of performance is Dreamboats and Pett-icoats, which came to Manchester last month.”

Alicia has travelled across Scotland, England and Wales with ‘My Brother the Robot’, and will be performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival throughout August.

In the futuristic play, she plays eight-year-old Bobbie, whose inventor father makes her a rob-otic brother to play with.

In 2011, she appeared on Bury band Elbow’s album Build A Rocket Boys, and for three mon-ths last winter performed in A Christmas Carol, at the New Vic theatre, Staffordshire.

Alicia has danced in venues including the Bolton Albert Halls and Manchester Palace Theatre, and has performed with the Halle Youth Choir.