A play within a play will be performed to celebrate the Marine Theatre's 125th anniversary.

Are You Going To The Marine? is written by TV screenwriter Andrew Rattenbury, who hails from Lyme Regis.

It will run at the resort theatre from December 5 to 7.

Andrew is a screenwriter for BBC’s EastEnders, ITV’s Doc Martin, and Channel 4’s Teachers.

With a local cast, writer, director and musical director, Are You Going to the Marine? is a celebration of Lyme Regis, the theatre, and the community. The piece includes sections from many local societies - Lyme School of Ballet, Lyme Regis Panto Society, The Marine Players, B Sharp, Lyme Regis Musical Theatre, and Saxminster.

The musical theatre society will be reviving a section of their 1938 performance of The Mikado at the Marine. The result is that everyone involved in the play is passionate about ensuring that “the audience see themselves reflected in the piece and the theatre’s history,” says Declan Duffy, musical director.

The play opens as a technical rehearsal and is set up as a play-within-a-play. It charts the whole chronological history of the little theatre by the sea from its time as a Georgian bath, through both wars, swinging into the 60s, and finishes by looking toward the Marine’s future.

The Marine’s long and rich history is seen through the eyes of three pairs of lovers who we meet them in different periods of time who act as a thread that weave together the 125 year history.

The writer, Andrew Rattenbury, posted a call-out on social media for people’s stories of the Marine and Rattenbury says that “the majority of the responses were tales of love and romance”.

Declan Duffy has mirrored the 125 year story with music from across the period: the first is from the 17th century, finishing with Daft Punk. The string quartet, unaccompanied singing, and the rock and roll band represent the cacophony of sounds that have emanated from the theatre over the years.

*Are You Going To The Marine?, Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis, Thursday, December 5 to Saturday, 7, 7.30pm. Contact the box office for tickets.