Ecstatic Requiem In Two Halves - May 14th

Called 'Ecstatic Requiem In Two Halves', it's the work of Hartlepool-born students Leanne Jeffries and Jessica Donley, who are studying for a BA Honours degree in Performance and Events Production at the University of Teesside.

For their final major project they were asked to produce a live event, and they have opted to stage it in their home town rather than at the university theatre.

Jessica has created 'Ecstatic', which is packed with a wide range of musical numbers and energetic dance routines.

In contrast, Leanne has devised 'Requiem', which uses songs and dance to tell a haunting story with a modern twist, based on the true events of the Bell Witch of Tennessee in the 1800s, when a spirit caused the death of a man and destroyed a whole family.

Both Leanne and Jessica started their training as youngsters at the Elwick Academy of Dance and believe that this has helped them immensely with their careers.

Leanne, who is also a full-time dance lecturer, said: "I have had so many sleepless nights since September last year due to my workload, but I'm now so excited and can't wait to see the end product finally on stage. My cast have worked so hard throughout this whole project and I am truly grateful to them."

Jessica added: "It has been a very stressful eight months with the amount of work we have had to do but I'm glad that we are nearly finished and I am tremendously excited about the performance."

For the production, Leanne and Jessica have brought together 35 students from eight dance academies from across the North-East, including Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Stockton and South Shields.

Many of those taking part are due to move on to theatre schools around the country later this year on scholarships.

The show starts at 7pm and tickets cost £6 for adults and £5 for concessions. To book call the Box Office on 01429 890000. Please note that the show may not be suitable for very young children.