Christmas may seem a long way off but for the Wisbech Players preparations begin in a couple of weeks.

The Players’ next production will be The Flint Street Nativity, which tells the story of a group of seven and eight-year-olds gearing up for the evening’s performance of the school’s nativity play.

Written by Tim Firth, who wrote Calendar Girls, the action centres on the pre-performance classroom preparations to the final stage performance, which culminates in calamity. There are inevitable mishaps, misunderstandings, young egos, fears of failure and fallings out.

And with a clever twist towards the end of the play, the children’s characters evolve into mirror images of their parents when the actors all appear as their parents (the plays audience) at the post-show gathering.

The story is based on real events, collected over ten years from members of Tim Firth’s family and friends who were teachers. Flint Street Primary School is modelled on Stockton Heath Primary School, where Firth attended and his mother taught.

Read-throughs take place on June 13 and 16 from 7.30pm at Mendi’s with auditions the following week on Monday 20 and Thursday 23, also from 7.30pm at Mendi’s.

The play will be directed by Linda Ekins and is at the Wisbech Angles Theatre from November 22 to 26.

For more information, contact the secretary Wendy Coles on 01945 474131 or email wisbechplayers@outlook.com