Local theatre company Jenny Wren Productions will this month be holding their “biggest ever” production – a stage adaption of the award-winning novel ‘Coram Boy’.

The group was set up in 2004 by Jenny Wicks, who at the time had recently graduated from Birmingham University after studying Drama and French.

“I specialised in directing and a lot of my friends specialised in acting,” explained Jenny.

“The opportunity came up to do a performance at the open-air festival at the Tuckwell Amphitheatre and it went really well. We did it again the following year and then I formed the company and the rest is history!”

The company now performs two productions a year with around 20 performances of each production in theatres and open-air venues all around the county, including the Everyman Theatre, Cowley Manor and Highnam Court, and they also tour schools with Theatre in Education projects.

But their upcoming performance will represent a first for the company as they are set to take to the stage at Gloucester Cathedral.

“I directed part of a mystery play there around five or six years ago,” said Jenny, “that was a good experience for myself to learn.

“Coram Boy will be our biggest production to date. We’ve got a cast of 50 including a choir and it will be held both inside and outside the Cathedral.”

The novel was written by Stroud author Jamila Gavin, who Jenny has worked with previously on two productions and will again be working with the company on the latest production.

“Jamila was doing a talk at Wycliffe College in Stonehouse on her work, and the drama teacher asked if she’d write a play for the youth theatre I was working with,” continued Jenny.

“That was in 2016 and so I thought, ‘hey I’m in contact with this fabulous author why not do one of her plays?’, and it’s just so exciting to be working with her again.

“Coram Boy is actually set in Gloucester Cathedral, which is what will make this performance so special.”

The play, which is being funded in association with Gloucester Cathedral, the Everyman Theatre and Arts England, tells the intertwining stories of abandoned children in 18th century Gloucester.

The show will feature actors as well as a live choir accompaniment, and Jenny can’t wait for the night.

She said: “Our musical director Lucas has been working with the choir and I’ve been rehearsing with the cast separately.

“We recently did a full run through of the first act altogether and it went really well.

“I’m nervous but really excited, it’s such a good story and doing it in the place where it’s actually set is really special.”

Coram Boy will be at Gloucester Cathedral from Tuesday 28th to Thursday 30th May.

For tickets and more information visit www.everymantheatre.org.uk