Young actors bring ghost story to Sheringham Little Theatre

The summer season show, Turn of the Screw, casts four students, who will rotate through the lead roles of Miles and Flora, two orphans in a haunted house.

Corbyn Smith, Olivia Linford, Rose Catterall and Riley Massingham will be featured in the suspenseful drama, inspired by the influential 1898 novel by Henry James.

Corbyn, a 15-year-old aspiring actor, was thrilled with the opportunity.

The show will give roles to young cast members and the directorial debut of Katie Thompson (Image: Submitted)

He said: “I am really excited about working with professional actors so I can gain experience and learn stagecraft.”

Olivia, 11, took part in a recent production of Matilda.

The youngest, Rose, is nine, and along with 12-year-old Riley, will be getting their first experience on stage.

Debbie Thompson, the theatre's director, said “The children’s governess suspects they are the link to the mysterious figures she sees around the house - so the youngsters are playing key roles.

“We auditioned for the parts and our young cast are a mix of students who have been involved with the Little Theatre productions in the past and those who are new to us.

“They will be working with experienced professional cast - including two other former SLT youngsters Ollie Westlake and Meg Artherton who have gone on to professional drama careers, which is a great inspiration for them.”

READ MORE: Olly Day and Nigel "Boy" Syer bring a night of variety to Sheringham

This production also signals the directing debut of Katie Thompson, daughter of the Debbie, who grew up performing in the youth theatre.

Katie said: “Any changes will be subtle as you cannot mess with a classic script, but I hope to make it more relevant to modern stage while keeping it set in Victorian times.”

Turn of the Screw runs from August 9 to 14.

Tickets and more information are available at sheringhamlittletheatre.com.