BREAKING new ground, The Oxford School of Drama will present its first musical, Into The Woods, by Stephen Sondheim, at The Theatre, Chipping Norton, from Thursday, February 9, until the following Saturday.

The school, based outside Woodstock, trains actors for the profession. Final year students on the school's Three-Year Diploma in Acting course will present the musical as their last performance in Oxfordshire before they move to London for the final part of their training.

Into the Woods intertwines five familiar children's fairy stories with sublime music and witty dialogue to create a darkly comic theatrical event.

The musical has been hailed as one of Sondheim's greatest, winning three Tony Awards and the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Musical.

Evening performances are at 8pm, with matinee performances on the Friday at 1.30pm and Saturday at 2.30pm.

Tickets are £10 full price, £8 concessionary groups, £5 schools.