Behind-the-scenes look at toil and trouble of staging play

Sprite Productions, the inventive and brilliant company led by husband and wife team Liam and Hester Evans-Ford, will be staging its annual promenade performance at Ripley Castle next summer.

After a few years presenting the lighter side of Shakespeare, the company will be presenting one of the Bard's darkest tragedies, Macbeth, in the stunning grounds of the castle in summer 2011. Before the show is unveiled, however, the company has joined forces with the Yorkshire Post to offer a unique opportunity to enjoy a private performance.

Readers will be able to bid all next week in the Yorkshire Post Charity Auction for the chance to see the dress rehearsal of the play, the night before it opens to the public.

Liam said: "Whoever wins will get a unique opportunity to look behind the scenes.

"Once the audience comes in, then the director and designers are all out of sight, but at the dress rehearsal, whoever wins the bid and whoever they want to bring with them, will be able to see the behind-the-scenes workings of us putting the play together.

"It could go very smoothly, but the dress rehearsal is an incredibly exciting thing for an audience to get to see.

"The director will be there with his notes and whoever wins the bid could see the action stop while a lighting designer climbs up a ladder to shift the lights around.

"It will be something quite special."

For details on the Yorkshire Post Christmas Charity Auction, see page 2 of today's main paper.