SHAKESPEARE came to Dilton Marsh as more than 100 young actors tackled four of the Bard's best-known plays in 90 minutes.

A week of training and rehearsals at the village school culminated with three special performances on April 1 and 2. This is the third year that lottery funding has seen the Moonraker Theatre Company work with the school and once again the end product proved a big hit with the audiences.

The youngsters were given the scenario that the Rose Theatre in London would be forced to close unless it could find a benefactor. In order to attract a backer and save the theatre they had to perform four plays.

Four days later the pupils were acting out a 90-minute show featuring some of Shakespeare's most famous tragic and comic creations. Macbeth, Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet, and The Tempest were all squeezed into a memorable show.

Despite the challenging nature of the project all pupils, from the reception class upwards, were able to take part.

Director Mark Hyde, who was joined by colleagues Tim Lacock and Michael Taylor in putting the youngsters through their paces, was impressed by the acting talent he discovered.

He said: "It's gone down a bomb it seems. The hall was packed it was a sell out.

"We involved all the children in the school, the teachers and even the secretary. But it's not just four plays, it's about the theatre as well. There is a bit of history in it as well."