Am dram star this week is Ellie Ball, a member of Mint Theatre Society, who is appearing in Three Men in a Boat.

Adapted by Jack Babb, based on the original tale by Jerome K Jerome, you can catch the show on July 7 at Britwell Hall in Boldmere; on July 14 at Stonall Village Hall; and finally on July 20-21 at Aldridge Social Club.

I ask Ellie how she became involved in am dram.

She says: “My mum has always been heavily involved in theatre and she passed that enthusiasm on to me, supporting me to get involved with as many avenues of the performing arts as I could. I’ve been in various youth theatres and adult drama groups over the years, and took LAMDA exams outside of school. In 2016, I became a co-founder of the Mint Theatre Society, which is a touring amateur theatre company.

“As well as acting, I help to run the marketing and publicity for the shows and I’m going to be directing my own production next summer.

“Three Men in a Boat is the story of three friends and a dog who decide to go on a boating trip up the Thames for two weeks. The problem is that none of them are particularly good at surviving without their housekeepers,” Ellie laughs.

“As you can imagine, madness ensues and they have all kinds of adventures involving the crazy characters and animals they meet along the way.

“I play Jerome, who is actually the author of the original book. He’s the most laidback of the three. He tends to be the one who tries to keep the peace and doesn’t want to get involved in the arguments between the other two!”

She loves her character.

“It’s fantastic to be playing a real life person, especially as Jerome K Jerome was born in Walsall, just like I was.”

What a great local connection.

I ask Ellie what she thought of this stage adaptation. “This adaptation is a fantastic one. It really captures the humour and spirit of the book, and it’s obvious that Jack Babb really appreciates the original” she says.

Obviously a doggie is required too.

“Our dog, Montmorency, is invisible! That doesn’t stop him from being a real presence onstage, however, and he definitely has his own starring moments. He even has his own lead.” Clever stuff!

Finally there is obvious chemistry between Ellie and her fellow performers. After all, she is just one of three men in the boat. “We’ve been in lots of plays together in the past.”

l For tickets call 07715578923 or visit the group’s Facebook page.