A NEW stage version of Peer Gynt - the Scandinavian fantasy originally drawn by Ibsen from folklore and myth - is to tour the region.

The play has been devised by threeovereden, a small-scale acting company formed in 1999 to provide original theatre for the North-East.

The latest production is an extension of its previous work being both physical and imaginative, and stamped by the company's trademark style to make it relevant for contemporary audiences.

The theme has been likened to the story of Faust. When the youthful, headstrong Peer unwittingly sells his soul to the Troll-King, it sets off a series of adventures which take him to the far reaches of the world and his imagination, leading ultimately to the crossroads of Loss and Redemption.

Peer Gynt overflows with exotic and fantastical characters and is a timeless classic which charts the stormy search for belief, love and the nature of existence itself.

The company has devised a workshop programme to support the tour, designed to introduce schools, colleges and community groups into its style of work and form part of its audience development. Drama students at Hall Garth School, Acklam, will benefit from these on Monday and Tuesday, and the play is performed before an invited audience at the school's Hexagon Theatre on Tuesday.

The small but versatile ensemble plays a large cast of characters, including newcomer to the company, Abigail Fisher (Shiv Marsden in Emmerdale. Leslie Simpson (Dog Soldiers), one of the founders of the group, plays Peer Gynt, and Shelly O'Brien, Mark Cronfield (Hollyoaks) and Rob Reed complete the cast. The play also sees the return of the multi-instrumental and vocal duo, Gobbleracket, who have reinterpreted Grieg's classical score.

The production is adapted and directed by playwright and co-founder of the ensemble, Bill Martin, with costumes and design by Sheila Martin.

The tour started at Hexham yesterday and arrives at Hambleton Forum, on Saturday, March 12 (tickets on 01609 777070); Bishop Auckland Town Hall, on Wednesday, March 16 (01388 602610); and Middlesbrough Theatre, on Thursday, March 31 for two nights (01642 815181); all at 7.30.