THE Spice Girls performing Shakespeare? It's enough to make the bard turn in his grave!

But the fairies in director Andy Holme's A Midsummer Night's Dream are likely to bear an uncanny resemblance to the mega-popular band.

Seven youngsters have renamed themselves the Sprite Girls for the purposes of the comedy performance and want to give the play a 90s feel by modelling themselves on the all-girl group.

However, audiences need not worry that Didcot's Phoenix Drama Group is playing fast and loose with Shakespeare's popular play.

Andy said: "Shakespeare's fairies were quite anarchic creatures. Our elves or 'Sprite Girls' as we call them will be pure chaos on stage."

Cara Marshall, nine, who plays Ginger Elf, added: "We're all mad about the Spice Girls."

The Phoenix Group's Sprite Girls were recruited from among the 3rd Didcot Brownies and their friends. The remaining six are: Alice Voller, ten, as Sporty Elf; Rebecca Tilley, nine, Baby Elf; her twin sister Bethany, as Posh Elf; Hollee Kilkenny, nine, as Scary Elf, with support from Haley-Louise Snowden, eight, and Laura Wilde, nine. Quite how much the youngsters' performances will draw upon the Spice Girls without departing from what Shakespeare wrote remains to be seen when the ambitious production is performed at Didcot Civic Hall from August 20-22.

"Our version of the play will have a contemporary look and and feel to it," said Andy.

It will certainly be out of the ordinary, thanks to a £4,000 National Lottery cash boost through Southern Arts. Andy said: "The Phoenix tends to live a sort of hand-to-mouth existence with a budget of about £400-£500 for each production - depending largely on profits from the annual pantomime." A sizable amount of the Lottery cash is being spent on materials for costumes designed by Linda Murphy, and money will also go towards two new spotlights and the set.

Andy said:"The extra money means we can reach out sto more people to become involved in the production and help increase the size of our audiences."

Bettina Kerbes, chairman of the Phoenix, said said although the play had been cast, they were still looking for more people to help out behind the scenes with set design and in other ways - on Wednesdays at the Civic Hall at 8pm.

In conjunction with the production, the Phoenix is also organising summer holiday children's workshops at the Civic Hall - on Thursday, August 20 for under 11s, and on Friday, August 21, for over 11s, both from 10am.

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