The critically-acclaimed Newbury Youth Theatre plan to continue their run of Fringe success with their adaptation of Hilaire Belloc’s Cautionary Tales for Children.

Adapted by the young company under the direction of Amy and Tony Trigwell-Jones, this performance (will feature much of their trademark style, including live music, ensemble storytelling, physical comedy and touches of magic.

Set in a new government department at the turn of the twentieth century, three men are on a crusade to lead the Ministry for the Correction of Young Oiks to great success. The plan is simple – take the blighters off the streets, terrify them into changing their ways, and set them up with responsible jobs - they do this by telling stories relevant to their conditions.

In this, we hear of Jim, who ran away from his nurse and was eaten by a lion, Matilda, who told lies and was burned to death and Henry King, who chewed bits of string and was early cut off in dreadful agonies, as well as other favourite stories from Belloc’s classic collection.

Belloc’s Cautionary Tales were first published in 1907, while he was serving as MP for Salford South. Probably the most famous of his writing, the short, poetic stories with implausible morals, inspired Roald Dahl in much of his children’s stories, most obviously in his much loved novel, Mathilda.