A Chesham-based theatre company is celebrating the success of its first Summer Youth Project which saw dozens of young thespians take to the stage last week and perform their own rendition of the musical classic Guys and Dolls.

On Friday hundreds of people poured through the doors of the Spinney Theatre at The Beacon School to watch the production, which included famous numbers such as Luck be a Lady and I’ve Never Been in Love Before.

The show was the culmination of The Beacon Academy of Performing Arts first 10-day Summer Youth Project which welcomed dozens of youngsters aged between 10 and 18 from across the community.

Director of the production, Will Maynard, said the aim of the scheme was to utilise the school’s staff and resources to “give back” to the community and provide children with a platform to express themselves through performing arts.

He said: “There was a free community performance in the afternoon for members of the community and a performance in the evening for families and connections.

“Both were virtually sold out – we had a really good turnout in the afternoon for residents of Amersham and Chesham. We had handed out flyers during the week.

“It was a fantastic project that reached out to the whole community. The participants put on a terrific performance especially as they only had 10 days."

Following the success of the production the company plans to host another Youth Project next year – and hopes to get more young people from the south Bucks community involved.

Mr Maynard continued: “The main idea is that we used our staff and resources, particularly our theatre, and our alumni to support the community.

“For me I would say that performing arts is invaluable in building so much of what goes into a good person.

“You develop empathy when you play a character who has a life different from your own, you become collaborative when you work with an unfamiliar team and you build aspiration and determination to do the best you possibly can for the company.”

For more information on The Beacon Academy of Performing Arts’ theatre courses contact performingarts@beaconschool.co.uk