WITH Remembrance Day fast approaching a poignant play is coming to the Playhouse which dramatises the lives of the people of Royal Wootton Bassett, who came out in their droves to pay their respects to British war dead from Afghanistan and Iraq.

Do We Do the Right Thing? is partly done verbatim – the actors will speak the very words of the people from Wootton Bassett who were interviewed. Writer Neil Walker said: “There is a real power in hearing people speak their own words. It follows how they say it and how they communicate it.

“It gives a voice to those people that you may not hear about in mainstream news reporting. It is raw and it is how people say it.”

Walker was inspired to write the play after watching the news reports of Wootton Bassett on TV and reflecting on his own choice not to follow in his family’s footsteps by joining the military.

He said: “For a while I watched the news and I was captivated about what was going on at Wootton Bassett.

“Why do people get involved? I was also interested in the age of the soldiers that were being brought back and how young they were.”

He added: “In the last few years the profile of the military has been raised so much.

“There is a more positive perception than in the past but how long can that continue?”

The show will be on from November 6 to 8 with tickets costing £13.50. Go to salisburyplayhouse.com or call 01722 320 333.

- In addition to the show on Saturday, November 8 there will be a poppy making table, poetry and First World War display in the foyer from 2pm to 7pm. There will also be a workshop in the community room from 12.30pm to 2.30pm, a panel discussion in the studio from 4.30 to 5.30pm and a performance by the woodwind section of Salisbury City Band in the foyer from 7pm.