‘WRITING plays, orchestrating songs and directing musicals - is there no end to the talents of Ulverston youngsters?’

So began a report in The Mail in December 1991 about teenage thespians who had crafted their own Christmas show material.

It stated: ‘Agatha Christie would have been baffled - two Ulverston schoolboys  have written a traditional tongue-in-cheek murder mystery in which more characters keep appearing instead of dying off."

William Dove and Andrew Ridal as a pair of highwaymen in ACTs production of Smith in 1992

William Dove and Andrew Ridal as a pair of highwaymen in ACT's production of Smith in 1992

William Dove, 15, and Des Brady, 14, both long-term members of children’s theatre group ACT, were commissioned to write a one-act whodunnit for the Christmas performance.

The only trouble was, the number of actors they were told to write for kept changing.

“We started off with just a few but more and more people came forward so we had to keep increasing the characters,” explained William.

“It made it more interesting but it was a bit difficult working out the end.”

Des and William’s first-ever play Snoek With Everything was a 1950s comedy featuring 24 partygoers, including Lady Ponsonby-Smythe, the local vicar, a journalist, an amateur sleuth and two corpses.

‘Snoek’ referred to a fish served with interminable regularity during rationing, said William.

Writing as a duo proved ‘very easy’, said Des.

THIEF: Smith (Eleanor Brady) picks the pocket of Mr Field (Andrew Tibbs), in a scene from ACT’s production of Smith

THIEF: Smith (Eleanor Brady) picks the pocket of Mr Field (Andrew Tibbs), in a scene from ACT’s production of Smith

“It took hundreds of cups of tea and more than several packets of biscuits - in fact, it took us the whole of the summer holidays,” he said.

"The worst bit was trying to get the end right. We introduced the characters all right but fitting al the loose ends in was difficult."

The lads eventually asked for a little assistance from ACT adult helper Brian Loveless.

Alongside the suspense-filled comedy was Christmas musical No Room at the Inn, performed by younger members of ACT.

Alex Loveless, producer/director of No Room at the Inn in 1991

Alex Loveless, producer/director of No Room at the Inn in 1991

That was orchestrated entirely by another teenager, 16-year-old Stephen Bell, following in his sister Elizabeth's footsteps.

The previous year composer and musician Elizabeth had written songs and music for The Hobbit, performed in Ulverston.

Meanwhile Alex Loveless, 15, was directing the young ones in the musical.