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Last week 630 youngsters, aged six to 11, watched a performance in The Salberg before they take to the stage themselves in the summer.

The Beginners Please project has been running for eight years, giving primary schoolchildren the chance to experience live theatre and produce their own show. They also have drama workshops in their schools, visit the Playhouse for a backstage tour and have the chance to work alongside theatre professionals as they rehearse their own productions.

The young theatre-goers and their teachers enjoyed performances of Pop-Up Flashback and Liang and the Magic Paintbrush. They also had an opportunity to ask the performers questions about their careers and how they created their plays.

Both productions used a range of techniques including puppetry, projections, animation and simple effects with paper which teachers can to take back to their classrooms for activities in school.

The children, who come from 15 schools in the Salisbury area, will now begin work on their own productions which range from The Lion King to Macbeth and will be performed at the Playhouse this summer.

“For many children this is their first experience of live theatre and they get so much from the Beginners Please project,” said Nicola Peacock from the Take Part department at Salisbury Playhouse.

“Not only do they get to see a live performance, they also go behind the scenes and discover how theatre is made.

“The children were very excited to visit the theatre and for some of them the next time they come here will be when they get to perform in front of their parents and friends from school.”

Schools that would like to find out more about taking part in the next Beginners Please programme can contact Nicola Peacock on 01722 345164 or nicola.peacock@salisburyplayhouse.com for details.