The stage is literally set and actors and production teams are going through their final paces as the college's BTEC Performance Arts students enter the final stages before their performance of Arabian Nights opens at the Yard Gallery on Monday 11th May.

As reported by the college's Journalism Academy Student, Imogen Matthews and featured in the local Express and Echo the production of Richard F. Burton’s translation of ‘One Thousand and One’ Nights’, ‘Arabian Nights’ is hot off the back of last year’s sell out run of C.S Lewis’s ‘The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe’ and tells the classic tales of; ‘The ‘City of Brass,’ Sinbad the Seaman’ and ‘Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves’ like you’ve never seen or heard before.

Imogen continues:

Meet the play’s protagonist, Shahrazad, whose husband the king, executes each of his wives after only a single night of marriage. Believed to be the greatest storyteller of them all, each night Shahrazad begins to tell the king a different tale, but does not end it. Will her stories be enough to save her?

Well, when I sat down with two of the company’s principal cast members to find out what we could expect from the show, they promised it would be an exciting night of theatrical storytelling. Describing the play as both ‘explosive and exciting’, they informed me that they have introduced many new elements which are set to surprise the audience. Including a possible new character…

Bethany Burns who plays Shahrazad, and Bethany Court, who plays Shahrazad’s sister, in the production explained that they have taken this piece down a spiritual route and have touched on themes which are more relevant to modern day audiences, “We split into smaller groups to each tell a different story, combining all of the different creative and dramatic elements. These I am told, include lots of interesting movement pieces and music. “The play is mainly devised and experimental.”

Overseen by director Nigel Paul, they told me that this magical production has something that the whole family will be able to enjoy. “We have made lots of new discoveries, we’re really proud of it!” These are a few of the reasons you should follow Shahrazad on her journey to discover her fate- spinning fabulous tales about genies, princesses, ghouls and monsters, as the production takes you inside the king’s tent, for a night of Arabian enchantment.

Arabian Nights is showing at the college’s Yard Theatre, off Queen Street in Exeter from Monday 11th to Saturday 16th May. Tickets are priced from £5 and suitable for those aged 7 years +. Tickets are available from the Box Office at the Exeter Northcott Theatre please visit www.exeternorthcott.co.uk/arabian-nights