A WIRRAL drama teacher is treading the boards on stage alongside Hollywood actress Kim Cattrall.

Rob Orme, who teaches at Calday Grange Grammar School, is set to share the spotlight with the Sex and the City actress in Antony and Cleopatra.

The 30-year-old actor, from West Kirby, will take on the two roles of Scarrus and Varrius in Shakespeare's classic production.

And with rehearsals well under way, Rob is gearing up for the official opening night next Thursday with a mixture of excitement and nerves.

He said: "We are still busy tweaking and changing some things so we are nowhere near perfect just yet. But I think that is the beauty of a live production - the fact that no two performances are the same.

"We actually open a week before our press night which is our 'official' opening night. So we will spend those performances getting to grips with the production in front of an audience. Up until now, we have all been in our little acting bubble!"

Rob first started acting professionally just seven years ago and has already notched up appearances in television drama Doctors and has performed in other Shakespeare plays such as As You Like It with Off The Ground Theatre Company.

And now he has found himself on stage with Liverpool-born Kim Cattrall, who is known for her role as promiscuous Samantha Jones in hit TV series Sex and the City.

Rob told the Globe that it has been "a pleasure" to work with Kim, although he couldn't be sure if she shared any similarities with her on-screen character.

He said: "Kim has been wonderful and a great person to work with. She is an extremely dedicated actress and very down-to-earth - she will sit and have a cup of tea with the rest of the cast in between rehearsals.

"But I really couldn't say if she is like Samantha Jones, as I'm not too familiar with the show - but Kim can be very feisty when she needs to be!"

Despite facing a theatre full of people almost every night for the next six weeks, Rob is especially nervous to perform for his biggest critics - his students.

He said: "The drama department at the school have organised to bring some of my pupils to see the play so I am having a few butterflies about that. It will be particularly strange for my sixth-form students who could be writing about this play in their exams, so it will be quite odd to be teaching it when I return after the play's run.

"But I think it is important to practise what you preach and I could not turn down a role like this."

Rob will appear in Antony and Cleopatra at the Liverpool Playhouse from October 8 - November 13. Visit www.everymanplayhouse.com for ticket details.