"Upbeat, lively and with a contemporary twist," is the way Year 10 student actor Rowan Vickers described the latest drama production to be staged at Warwick Academy's Phoebe Purvis Memorial Hall on January 17, 18 and 19 at 7 p.m.

Not your regular Disney tale, Warwick Academy's production of 'Sleeping Beauty' by British playwright Brian Way, is a comical, interactive pantomime that will appeal to the whole family.

There are the traditional wicked witch, fairy godmother, spinning wheel and handsome prince, but complicating the plot are a madcap chef and a pirate ship with a full complement of pirate crew. A Royal Chamberlain, the King's right-hand man, offers comic relief as well as sound advice to a beleaguered kingdom.

With the entire kingdom asleep, Simple, in reality a Handsome Prince, must embark on a quest to save the kingdom with the help of a Good Fairy Godmother. It is a quest that involves a confrontation with pirates promised treasure in return for assisting a wicked witch to reach the sleeping kingdom. Though not following the traditional plot line, the play, director Matt McGowen promises, has the traditional happy ending.

The students on stage and behind the scenes range in age from primary year four to the year 12 students of the senior school, their joint efforts producing a "very professional show", Rowan Vickers declared.

Directed by drama teacher Matt McGowen and choreographed by Jennifer Soares of In Motion School of Dance, the production promises to be a thoroughly enjoyable evening for the whole family.

This is the last production in the Phoebe Purvis Memorial Hall before the hall undergoes major renovations this summer. The roof is coming off and being replaced with a new one with proper acoustics. New lighting and sound systems are being installed and the organ will be restored, with a first rate performing arts centre emerging from the dust.

Tickets for 'Sleeping Beauty' are $20 for adults and $10 for children, and are available from the secondary school office (236-1917) during school hours.