Ain't Misbehavin', Harrogate Theatre, until March 6

Tonight, she opens her most ambitious show so far: Ain't Misbehavin, a musical celebration of Fats Waller to mark the American composer's centenary.

"I really wanted to have a big finale to the first season, but to do a big show is increasingly difficult in regional repertory theatre. It's a big musical with a cast of five, which we can manage, but it also has a band of five musicians, and I just felt we had to show ambition this time."

She had planned to tour the production, and ten theatres had expressed an interest in taking it, but an application to the Arts Council for tour funding was rejected. "There are so many projects out there that I do understand there just isn't enough money for all the projects that ideally need to be done," says Hannah, 27.

"But we decided we wanted to do the production anyway, and I'm really proud that we're doing it under our own steam."

This is not a rash, wilful decision by Hannah, so much as the next step in moving Harrogate Theatre forwards. She announced her arrival with a celebrity production of Art, starring Les Dennis, John Duttine and Christopher Cazenove, which subsequently went on tour. She took the autumn repertory production of John Godber's Teechers to Poland, and at Christmas she introduced dinner and cabaret musical entertainment to the Studio theatre with the sophisticated delights of the Side By Side By Sondheim revue.

Ain't Misbehavin' lays down another marker.

"To do it and prove you can do it is the most important thing. I didn't want to fall at the first hurdle. I didn't want people to think of Harrogate Theatre in a negative way," says Hannah.

"It was like our decision to go to Poland with Teechers without any funding for the trip. We proved we could do it, and now my hope is to prove that we can achieve high standards in our shows even without the funding levels of bigger theatres."

There is an indefatigable spirit to Hannah.

"If you do something well, then it will be easier next time." she says. "With the Sondheim show, people said 'Oh it won't work in the Studio, and the dining experience will never work with it', but I am most proud of that show out of all the work I've done. We managed to stage something on the smallest stage ever with a cast that was used to playing to 2,000 people a night in the West End, and we were able to surprise people who think of Harrogate Theatre in a certain way. Studio theatre shows will now be a much easier proposition for next year."

Hannah's aim has been to set an artistic standard with her first season that should build on the box-office achievements of her predecessor Rob Swain, who increased the average audience from 37 per cent capacity to more than 70 per cent.

"This season is just one season, so obviously it doesn't say everything I want to do here, but part of my commitment to the people of Harrogate when I came here was that they should not have to go to London to see high-quality theatre. So far we have done high-quality theatre - and high-quality dining - with West End actors in the casts," says Hannah.

"I just want to show we can achieve magic here in Harrogate, and I get a massive thrill from this theatre's ability to do shows that look like they have a budget seven times the actual cost. That's where the magic lies."

Ain't Misbehavin', Harrogate Theatre, until March 6. Box office: 01423 502116.

Updated: 09:28 Friday, February 13, 2004