VENUES across the town are preparing to play host to the return of Stroud Theatre Festival this weekend.

From Friday to Sunday, Stroud is set to host three days of performance, including children’s shows, classics, comedy, spoken word and award-winning dramas.

Over 80 performances by 30 different companies will be performed in leading venues including the Subscription Rooms, the Lansdown Hall, the British School, the Imperial Hotel and other venues.

While many of the companies are Gloucestershire-based, others are coming from Bristol, Exeter, Brighton, Devon and even as far away as Lithuania to showcase their talents.

“The festival was created to show the wide range of theatre styles that are on offer,” said festival director John Bassett.

“The festival is also about accessibility. We deliberately keep the ticket prices low at £7 and £5 and audience members can also buy a Stroudie Special, which gives them six shows for the price of five.”

Festival highlights this year include Last Baguette theatre company’s What’s the Matter? - where science meets slapstick in a sci-fi adventure through the strange and wonderful world of quantum physics.

Otherstory, a puppetry collective from Bristol, tells the story of the notorious 18th-century jailbreaker and hero of the people, Jack Sheppard, in their table-top paper theatre show entitled Escape was on Everyone’s Mind.

One-act farce Trouble Inn Paradise sees three performers whisk deftly in and out of costumes and masks to bring eight larger-than-life, comic characters, in a commedia dell’arte style.

In addition to performances, there are also workshops for adults and older children in stand-up comedy, dance and commedia dell’arte.

Stroud Theatre Festival returns for its fourth year.

To find out more about the fourth Stroud Theatre Festival visit www.stroudtheatrefestival.co.uk or pick up a brochure from the Sub Rooms.

For more information email info@stroudtheatrefestival.co.uk