Fourteen groups of talented young people from York schools and City of York Council's Performing Arts Centres will be taking part in the fourth annual Drama Festival at the Central Hall a week on Saturday (March 9).

This year's festival is a partnership between the council's Performing Arts Service and Impressions Gallery. The drama groups have been encouraged to visit The Beach exhibition, currently on show at the gallery, and to use the images as a starting point for creating a dramatic piece for their performance.

Children aged between five and 16 are also invited to enter a competition by writing a piece about one of the photographs in the exhibition. The winner will receive vouchers to buy a camera, film or processing donated by Jessops.

Colin Jackson, drama consultant for the Performing Arts Service, said, "It's always exciting to see the diverse range of approaches and styles from the participating drama groups especially this year with the mix of drama and photography."

The Beach photographic exhibition by Magali Nougarede and Effie Paleologou is showing at the Impressions Gallery at 29 Castlegate, York, until Saturday, April 6.

END