THE Bellereby Studio at G Live in Guildford was the venue for the annual Royal School sixth form production, ‘This Changes Everything’.

A new play by Joel Horwood, it was specifically written for an all-female cast and is part of the Platform initiative, launched by Tonic Theatre and Nick Hern Books, to increase acting opportunities for young women.

Adam Forde, who directed the production, runs Story Pocket Theatre and is head of the Youth Theatre and education department at the Yvonne Arnaud.

He is also an accomplished playwright and his adaptations of well-known classics are regularly performed all over the country.

Working with a professional director and set designer in such a high-profile venue gave the students a memorable experience of the workings of a professional theatre company.

It was the first performance of the play, making The Royal School the only school in the world to boast a Platform premiere.

The other two plays in the first round of Platform commissions will be premiered by Bristol Old Vic and the National Youth Theatre.

The school was delighted to have the publishers in the audience, who were full of praise for the production.