BRIDPORT Youth Theatre group BAC stage performed their National Theatre Connections play Gargantua at Poole Lighthouse.

It is the story of a giant baby, the result of a two year pregnancy, who grows and grows, developing an insatiable appetite.

When the Government finds out about him they remove him to a secret laboratory for military purposes. The plan goes pear-shaped and, let’s say, it doesn’t end well.

Each year, Bridport Youth Theatre participates in National Theatre Connections. It is a competition for young people to perform a play at their own venue then at a partner venue.

Under director Niki McCretton, the group chose Gargantua and first performed it in March at the Bridport Arts Centre to an enthusiastic audience of family and friends.

The scale of the giant baby was demonstrated by a puppet, made by Holly Miller, who also made the props, whose image was projected live by camera onto a screen on the stage.

Operated by a rotation of cast members, the technical challenge was to coordinate the interaction between the onscreen images of the baby with the actors onstage.

We found the experience amazing. To be able to walk into a big auditorium as a youth theatre group and think that it was all ours was thrilling.

Cast member Heather Lambourn said: “It feels like being a professional company. I can’t believe how much space we have to perform in!

“It’s opened my eyes to what it would be like being a professional actor and has made me want to become one even more.”

Ruby Vogel said: “I think doing National Theatre Connections is such a fun and inspirational thing for teenagers to do because you get to experience a day in the day of an actor and it’s great being part of a drama group, really getting to know them.”

The play also taught us how humans beings fear anyone out of the ordinary and tend to exploit or even destroy them. Perhaps it’s because humanity is scared of change or something different to them.

The cast members were: Magenta Strillozzi, Kitty Ford, Blake Ford, Ruby Vogel, Bea Tilly, Alfie Golding, Heather Lambourn and Telsia Brake.

MAGENTA STRILLOZZI