A CAST of talented young actors from Droitwich Spa’s Norbury Theatre are preparing to bring their production of The Railway Children to the stage.

Debut director Eleanor Taylor and the cast from the venue’s youth theatre group will present E Nesbit’s classic tale from Thursday, May 10 until Saturday, May 12.

The train standing at the town’s Friar Street venue will have been put together by Eleanor and the supporting team as they bid to create the Edwardian setting and atmosphere of the children’s classic which has been enchanting families for generations.

“We would love to create a life-size steam engine if we can, but if that’s not possible, there will certainly be the atmosphere and special effects which makes The Railway Children such a wonderful piece of theatre,” said Eleanor, aged 27, who is making her directorial debut with the show after years of acting, dancing and helping to lead the ever-popular Norbury Youth Theatre group.

The Railway Children – made famous on screen with Jenny Aguter, Bernard Cribbins and Dinah Sheridan – is set at the turn of the century, during the golden age of steam railways. Three children find themselves cast into poverty after their father is arrested. Along with their mother, they move to a new life in the north of England, spending much of their free time alongside the railway. The children take in a lost Russian man, prevent a rail disaster and save a schoolboy with a broken leg, but do they ever get to see their father again?

For tickets, call the Norbury Theatre box office on 01905 770154 or visit norburytheatre.co.uk