A PLAY based on the real voices of the First World War is taking place at Essex University next week.

Voices of the Great War tells the untold stories of children who grew up in the shadow of 'the war to end all wars'.

Written by Annecy Lax, from the university's Department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies, her script is based on research by Dr Mike Roper and Dr Rachel Duffett of the Department of Sociology who interviewed people born in the early 20th Century, who recalled their childhoods during the First World War and its aftermath.

Professor Roper says: “As researchers we are looking forward to having the chance to watch these interviews from a different perspective, which brings alive and makes us think again about the First World War’s emotional and psychological legacy for families.

“These performances will also allow people to connect with our research and hear untold stories from the past that may well resonate with the experiences of their own families.”

Billed as a unique and ambitious theatrical event that brings the past to life with the voices of today’s youth, students make up the main cast. But thanks to a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Lakeside Theatre’s Youth Theatre and Young Company will also be taking part in the play using modern ‘verbatim’ theatre techniques. This will include listening to original interview recordings through headsets while on stage and then immediately performing what they are hearing to the audience.

Director Robert Price, who has taught at RADA and is now voice coach at LAMDA, adds: "The quality of the writing, both the script by Annecy and the research it's based on, makes this a very grown-up piece of art and it's been exciting making a piece of theatre out of that.

"What I've really enjoyed is seeing the actors engage with that writing and seeing great work come out of it."

Lakeside Theatre director Barbara Peirson says: “Our pilot workshops at the Lakeside took place 18 months ago and they really were incredible having a profound impact on everyone involved.

"The young performers felt they had a direct, emotional connection to people of their own age from a century ago through the words they were hearing and then speaking.

"Now we're nearing the completion of this project with this fantastic piece of theatre, we're getting very excited about the performances. It's like our understanding of the war will no longer be locked in those sepia photos.

"I'm especially looking forward to hearing our youth theatre and young company members speaking the words of people remembering a time when they were young. That empathy I think will be quite a powerful thing to witness."

Voices of the Great War

Lakeside Theatre,

Square 5, Essex University.

June 24 and 25. 7.30pm.

£12, £8 concessions. 01206 873261.

www.lakesidetheatre.org.uk