THE story of creation took an unexpected twist when God said "let there be light'' and there wasn't any.

Pupils at Durham High School for Girls were performing a medieval mystery play for family and friends when the heavenly command for illumination was met by darkness.

When a spotlight was late in coming on, God, played by Felicity Redfern, ad-libbed in the best stage tradition, saying "I said I wanted light.''

Her call was answered - but only briefly, for at that moment the school was hit by a power cut, that also cut electricity supplies to hundreds of homes in three postal areas of the city.

Despite the black-out, the 60 girls taking part wanted to ensure the show went on and gamely performed two scenes under torchlight before staff halted the production for safety reasons.

Tonight and tomorrow, the production, a series of eight plays called Heaven and Earth, will be re-staged and fingers are crossed that the power supply is not interrupted.

Director Kate Roberts said: "It was quite ironic - let there be light and then everything went off. It was also incredibly dramatic.

"Some parents got big torches and we did the first two scenes under torchlight but we had to cancel it for health and safety reasons. The girls wanted to keep going but there was a danger of them falling off the stage."

Some of the audience had come from as far as London and Nottingham, and were disappointed at the early finish of the production by Fresh Talent Workshop, the middle school's drama club.

* The school will stage The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at the city's Gala Theatre, in April