A CENTURY of life in Worcester will be brought to the stage this spring with a cycle of plays written by local people.

The Worcester Century Plays will be the April climax of the new season at the Swan Theatre.

Professional actors will be joined by Worcestershire people in presenting a tapestry of Worcester life through the experiences of one family.

Four connected plays in two parts follow their fortunes from the First World War to the dawn of the new Millennium.

The first and last plays are written by Lance Woodman, the second by Deborah Gatesby and the third by Kate Shaw. All are directed by Jenny Stephens and Kim Greengrass.

Because the story is chronological, audiences will want to see both parts in the correct order. Joint tickets will be available at reduced prices.

The professional season at the Swan gets off to a lively start next month with a visit from the Reduced Shakespeare Company, with The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), a riotous romp through all 37 of the bard's plays in just 97 minutes, running from February 6 to 10, with a Saturday matinee.

There will be more laughter later in the month with Alan Ayckbourn's comic vision of the future, Hence Forward, a tale of man versus machine, with a bizarre set of characters and a weird assembly of robots and gadgets, to run from February 22 to March 17, with a Thursday matinee.

The Birmingham Stage Company, leading producer of Roald Dahl stories, brings children's entertainment to the Swan from March 20 to 24 in the form of George's Marvellous Medicine.

This production has been featured twice on BBC's Blue Peter and will be enjoyed by both young and old.

In contrast, the March production of Sons & Lovers is strictly for adults, with scenes of violence and nudity.

D H Lawrence's tale of passion and possessiveness is adapted by Roger Parsley and brought to the stage by Snap Theatre Company, directed by Andy Graham. It runs from March 26 to 31.

The season at the Swan includes stand-up comedy on Sundays with Jenny clair (February 4) Rich Hall (February 25), Boothby Graffoe (March 18) and John Shuttleworth (April 22).