It will be Gilbert and Sullivan with a difference when the curtain goes up on the Bartholomew Community Theatre's latest production Dearest Heart, tomorrow.

The cast have broken with convention to stage a new play written especially for them by Chris Sambrook from Finstock, who is one of the community theatre's founding members. He has based Dearest Heart on the Arthur Sullivan story.

Chris, who is a firearms inquiry police officer based in Witney, said: "We chose to do this because it seemed as if the 100th anniversary of Arthur Sullivan's death would go unnoticed otherwise. By using extracts from Gilbert and Sullivan's letters, we have got a production that tells a story."

Dearest Heart opens in the Bartholomew School Hall, Eynsham, at 7.30pm tomorrow and continues until Saturday.

Next Wednesday,the Bartholomew Community Theatre presents a centenary gala performance at the Corn Exchange, Witney, which will be a black tie event.

Tickets for Bartholomew School performances can be reserved by calling 01993 778710. Tickets for the gala production at the Corn Exchange, Witney, can be booked on 01865 880645.