ACTOR Stephen Tate has been rubbing shoulders with the likes of Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway while filming Les Miserables.

West End star Stephen plays the character Fauchelevent in the film version of Les Mis which is released on Friday.

He spoke to the SNJ about his role at the launch of a theatre company for people with learning disabilities at Stroud's Lansdown Hall and Gallery on Monday.

Dramatic Change Theatre Company is the second issue-based theatre company made up primarily of actors with learning disabilities in the UK.

Its first production will be performed for other people with learning disabilities and is called the SkillZONE Hate Crime Project.

"This first project is about making people with learning disabilities aware of their rights," said Stephen, who is the director of the company, which is funded by Gloucestershire County Council and Gloucestershire NHS.

"Through the medium of acting we will be teaching them what is, and what is not acceptable behaviour towards them, and also what to do if they experience a hate crime."

Eighty per cent of people with learning disabilities experience hate crime and nine out of ten times it goes unreported.

"People with learning difficulties tend to struggle with transferable skills which makes SkillZONE a great set for us as the performances will take place on an actual bus and in an actual shop," said Stephen, who has lived in Stroud for 18 years.

SkillZONE is a lifesize village built in a warehouse in Gloucester used by emergency services for training.

The actors will perform four performances at different locations there.

A bus, shop, house and dark alley will be used to teach people with learning difficulties about personal safety and rights.

Learning disability campaign group Gloucestershire Voices advertised for the director's job in the summer and Stephen, who has had a 40 year career in the West End, decided to take a break from the London stage and applied for the job.

"We will not only make people with learning disabilities more aware of their rights but will also challenge society's ideas about them and what they are capable of," he said.

"As I tell all my actors - PWLD does not stand for people with learning disabilities anymore - it now stands for people who love drama."

Durham-based company Moveable Feast is the only other issue based theatre company in the country.

Partnership board support officer for Gloucestershire County Council, Sue Hogarth, instigated the project in Gloucestershire after seeing a Moveable Feast performance.

To find actors, Stephen ran drama workshops at drop-in centres across the county.

Stephen's West End role have included Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar, Gus the theatre cat in Cats and various roles in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

He recently attended the cast and crew premiere of the film of Les Miserables with stars like Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman, Tim Hooper and old friend Cameron Mackintosh.

As Fauchelevant, Stephen got to play opposite Hugh Jackman who plays Jean Valjean.

"I have actually been held by Hugh Jackman which IÕm sure makes me the envy of women everywhere," he said.

Dramatic Theatre Company start rehearsals next Wednesday, January 16, with performances set to take place in April.