Students at Fowey Community College were given the chance of a lifetime to work side by side with actors from the Royal National Theatre. The project, part of the educational outreach work sponsored by Lloyds TSB, is part of a national tour of the National Theatre's production of Shakespeare's comedy 'As You Like It'.

Last summer, head of drama, Mr J Frankland, submitted a bid to the National to come and work with the students of the college. Just before the summer holidays 1999 Fowey College was informed that it had been successful.

The theatre day experienced by the pupils was the last segment of a complete package that included first rate in-service training for the drama staff at the college.

Mr David Hendry said: 'The inset days were without doubt outstanding and by far the most effective that I have experienced, with every second of the day crammed with ideas and suggestions of work to be used with school pupils.'

The idea of the day for the students was to experience Shakespeare and then discuss the finer details of exactly how the Bard used language to create the characters and incidents within his plays.

Two and a half hours were used as a workshop and the actors then readied the stage for a full performance of 'As You Like It' to the pupils in the afternoon. The whole experience proved inspirational for the cast of the college's forthcoming adaptation of Henry IVth part one and two and Henry V, re-titled 'The Henrys'.

'The Henrys' will be showing at Fowey on April 5, 6 and 7. Tickets are one sale from the college reception.