directed by an 18-year-old drama student, is the intriguing bill of fare to be served up next week by the BMDS when they stage a workshop production of Shirley Valentine.

Far from feeling overwhelmed by this undertaking, Joel Froomkin, who is pursuing a degree in drama at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, actually chose the play as being a practical choice for a `last-minute' production, undertaken at a time when larger casts were not readily available.

"The original show slotted for June had been cancelled, so when I was asked to direct something else, I thought Shirley Valentine would be suitable -- as long as I could find someone to play Shirley. I am very fortunate to have found Carol Birch, because she is very good indeed,'' he said.

Willy Russell's hit comedy opened in London in 1988 to reviews that described it as a "thrilling, cheer-raising piece of theatre'', "brilliantly funny'' and "a funny, wise and at the same time very moving play''. It brought more rave reviews and an Oscar nomination for British actress Pauline Collins when she repeated the role for the movie of the same name.

But Joel Froomkin still believes that the stage version is "much better'', because he feels the strength of the play lay in the fact that Shirley Valentine had to create every other character in the play herself, purely through her descriptive powers.

"Shirley Valentine is a microcosm of every middle-aged woman -- or even anyone who is losing their youth and feeling that life has passed them by,'' he said.

Playwright Russell, who also wrote Educating Rita, is renowned for his brilliant evocation of the lives of ordinary working class people whose humour often conceals their inner frailty. "He has such a wonderful flair for dialogue and getting inside people's heads. It's significant that he was a hairdresser and then a teacher before he became a writer,'' said the young director.

"This play isn't a soliloquy. It's as if Shirley has invited us in for tea and we're sitting in her kitchen while she talks to us and muses on her life,'' said Froomkin.

He is impressed with the way in which Carol Birch has tackled memorising a 32-page script, in which she is the only speaker. Froomkin said: "She has done a wonderful job. Usually, I like to work with the script for a few weeks but as we've only had a month or so, Carol had to go off and learn her lines.

After two weeks she was practically word perfect! Now she says she wants to do it without a prompt, which is very brave of her. We'll have to make a decision on that nearer the time.'' The play has been billed as a `workshop' production because of a shorter rehearsal period than usual, but there will be full scenic effects. "We have a wonderful, working kitchen designed by Peter Woodhouse, with refrigerator, sink and stove. Carol will actually cook the egg and chips for her husband's supper!'' Froomkin was bitten by the theatre `bug' after seeing a performance of Phantom of the Opera, and made his debut with the BMDS in The Physicists (as Carol Birch's son) in 1987. After graduating from Saltus Grammar School he was one of only 30 applicants who are accepted each year to pursue the degree course in drama at the Los Angeles campus of the University of Southern California.

During his first year there, he played Linus in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, was the assistant director for The Illusion and part of the team (as assistant stage manager) that won an award in the American College Theatre Festival for their production of Untitled As Of Now.

For his US theatre career, Froomkin has taken `Leslie' as his sir-name, which is actually his middle name. He explained: "Froomkin is difficult to pronounce and everybody spells it wrong, so it seemed easier to change it.'' Undecided yet as to whether he wants to concentrate on acting or directing, he has already notched up an impressive list of credits in both departments.

"I'm very happy to be doing either. I do know I'm a controller and like to keep my finger on everything. For instance, I got British Airways folders to put the admission tickets in, so that it maintains the atmosphere of the play and I've stuck posters of Greece all over the place. I have to work with people who will go along with me. That's what I like about BMDS. It's amateur, yes, but they try so very hard to get things right and they expect high standards. We have to do the best we can because it's a privilege to be in the theatre and we must never forget that people are paying to see us.'' Shirley Valentine will run at Daylesford from Monday, June 29 to Saturday, July 4 at 8 p.m. Tickets $8. Reservations 292-0848. Box office at Daylesford open from 5.30-7.30 p.m. until June 26, from 12.30-2.30 p.m. on June 27, and from 7 p.m. on show nights.

JOEL'S VALENTINE -- 18-year-old drama student, Joel Froomkin, is the director of the one-woman play, Shirley Valentine, which opens at Daylesford next week.