ONE of the UK's top theatre schools will perform twice in Dorset on a West Country tour.

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School present The Canterbury Tales at Frampton Village Hall near Dorchester on Saturday, June 29 at 7.30pm.

It will also call into The Exchange, Sturminster Newton on Thursday June 20 as part of the Artsreach tour.

A touchstone of English literature, Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales has delighted readers for centuries.

A collection of 24 stories written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 1300s, The Canterbury Tales is presented as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims who are travelling together from London to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket. The prize for this contest is a free meal at the Tabard Inn at Southwark on their return. Within their tales, all of medieval life is here, with the wide range of social strata rubbing shoulders as the Miller, the Steward and the Wife of Bath (among others) all have their tales to tell.

Brimming with verve and energy, Chaucer's well-loved stories will be brought beautifully and vividly to life on stage in two rural Dorset venues this summer, by students from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, some of the most talented actors emerging into the industry.

Opened in 1946 by Laurence Olivier, the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School has grown a reputation for attracting the very best in young acting talent and, as such, has some notable alumni to its name including Daniel Day Lewis, Greta Scacchi, Peter O’Toole, Olivia Colman and many more. The school’s annual visit to Dorset is always a firm favourite on the Artsreach programme and this year will be no exception, with tickets already going quickly.

Expect an outstanding theatrical experience as the students perform at The Exchange in Sturminster Newton on Thursday June 20 (01258 475137) and Frampton nr Dorchester (07968 586906) on Saturday June 29. Suitable for those aged 14 and above. Tickets and further information are also available online at artsreach.co.uk