When it comes to picking up dream jobs, Craig Mather has done rather well in the short space of time he’s been performing.

The top two parts on his musical theatre wish list when he was training were Melchior Gabor in Spring Awakening and Marius in Les Miserables, and rather incredibly they were his first two jobs out of drama school.

“It was unbelievable,” he smiles. “I graduated in 2010 and my very first job was at The English Theatre in Frankfurt doing Spring Awakening and then the next one was Marius in the West End.

“In the end I did more than a thousand shows. In fact I did it twice, the first time back in 2011, and then I had a couple of jobs in between before I went back and did another smaller stint a couple of years ago.

“For the first run, I did five auditions to get the part and the year before I tried for it and didn’t get it so I was pretty excited when I got offered the part.

“It was a little weird going back because there were new people and there was a bit of a different vibe but after having those two jobs right out of drama school, I did rather wonder what I was going to do after them.”

Now Craig has another dream role, that of Edward in the world premiere of Pieces of String, a new musical taking place at the Mercury Theatre here in Colchester.

“Well, it’s a dream role for a number of reasons,” he says. “For a start it’s a brand new role and that’s always exciting for any performer. You can make it your own. With a part like Marius, you’re picking up a mantel that first began with Michael Ball back in 1985. I know people have work shopped this part in its development but the first time an audience will see Edward is when I step on stage and that’s pretty thrilling.

Gazette: Ownership - Craig Mather getting ready for his new role.

“The other dream part of this show is it’s in Colchester which is now my home town.”

Born and brought up in Stroud, Gloucestershire, Craig finds him in Britain’s oldest recorded town thanks to his wife, who although originally comes from Chadwell Heath has plenty of family living in and around the area.

And if all of that wasn’t enough, Craig also has one of his best mates appearing alongside him.

“Andy (Coxon) and I were at Mountview theatre school together,” he explains. “He’s playing my grandson and it was rather funny when he called me and said did I fancy a lodger for a couple of months. I replied ‘please don’t tell me you’re my love interest’ at which point he realised I was in the show as well.

“It’s been incredible doing a show a few minutes from where I live. We decided to move here because of family. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d being rehearsing and staging a show here in Colchester.”

As well as appearing at the Mercury, Craig has been ‘passing on’ the incredible experiences and skills he’s developed with local theatre school, Theatricool.

“I’m basically doing maternity cover,” he tells me. “But essentially it’s teaching vocals and audition preparation. the kind of stuff I would have loved to know when I was first starting out.”

But that’s taken a back seat for a while as Craig prepares for the new show.

Directed by Ryan McBryde who cast Craig in his very first show in Frankfurt and designed by 2017 Linbury Prize Finalist Fin Redshaw, Pieces of String is the latest production from the Perfect Pitch stable who specialise in developing new British musicals.

With book, music and lyrics by Gus Gowland, the story crosses the generations from the Forties to present day when Jane returns from her father’s funeral to start clearing the house she grew up in.

Packing away the family photographs, she isn’t prepared for the untold story she’s about to discover threaded through her past, a story that threatens to unravel her relationship with her own children and shake her understanding of who she is.

Craig says: “It’s very unique. For a start I can’t think of many shows that has four tenors singing all at once. I think it sits closer to a play with songs that emotionally drive the story along, they’re not just there for show, they all have a purpose.

“I think it has the legs to be a really great piece and obviously I’m hoping it will have a longer life after the Mercury run. It certainly deserves it.”

Pieces of String runs at the Mercury Theatre, from today until May 5 at 7.30pm and 2.30pm on Thursdays and Saturdays

For tickets, priced from £27 to £12 plus discounts, go on-line at mercurytheatre.co.uk or call the box office on 01206 573948.