A SHAKESPEAREAN classic with a sci-fi twist proved to be out of this world to sell-out audiences.
Green-screen effects, smoke and video, as well as peerless performances by a cast of 30, made Return to the Forbidden Planet, by Bob Carlton, a production to remember at Barnard Castle School.
Former pupil Erika Lee returned from the Royal Conservatoire in Glasgow, where she is studying scenic design, helping a backstage complement of 15 with the lavish scenery.
The four-night production transformed Shakespeare’s The Tempest into an interstellar 60s rock and roll musical.
A live six-piece band, under the musical direction of Alan Owens, supported dazzling performances by lead cast members Kerin Borer, Jamie Preston, Tom Hunter, Rohan Kelsall and Rachel Elphick.
Many of the cast and crew will go on next year to take GCSE Drama, which is being offered for the first time by Barnard Castle School, or A Level Theatre Studies.
Director of Drama and Head of Theatre Studies Scott Edwards said: “It went incredibly well; absolutely flawless and really well received.
“I like the productions to be frivolous and fun but at the same time challenging, which this was because of the Shakespearean dialogue. It pushed the students way out of their comfort zone and they responded superbly.
“Technologically, it was a real show-stopper too and, with the help of Erika, our students have been given an incredible insight into what they can expect from theatrical studies and the world of theatre.”