Much Ado about Hexham

"The plot is implausible, the context is alien to us and the jokes are densely written in what is an almost foreign language. Yet it works and touches the core of human emotion and social relations whilst being, fundamentally, a comedy.

"At a time when we are questioning our values as a society - materialism, respect for authority, family relationships and what it is that ultimately makes us happy - Much Ado About Nothing examines these issues and, like all great art, provides us with more questions than answers.

"We have set this production in North East England in the 1950's. Soldiers were returning from obscure foreign wars, people had a strong commitment to their families and communities and, by and large, knew their place in the social pecking order.

"Teenage pregnancy led to a quick marriage or disgrace and a job was expected to be for life. Harold MacMillan told us 'You've never had it so good'.

"However the same period saw the birth of rock and roll, the launch of commercial TV and the invention of the fish finger. And the new generation, empowered with new wealth, was asking whether the formality and stuffiness of post-war Britain was, indeed, much ado about nothing."