THE Garrick Young Company, designed for 18 to 25 year olds, and the brainchild of Peter Birch, is presenting its premier, adapted by him from the book, The Sign of The Four by Arthur Conan Doyle.

Peter, an English teacher at Altrincham College of Art, is preparing his students for GCSE.

The Sherlock Holmes mystery is a set book so it seemed an appropriate choice.

He said: “13 young people, some of whom have done Garrick productions or performed with the Garrick Academy of Performing Arts, will play 35 characters.

“It has filled a gap in the age groups and encouraged former students who came between the ages of five and 18, to return.

“I have shrunk it down to two hours plus interval.”

The three main characters, Sherlock Holmes (David Beeby), Mary Morstan (Pip Glarvey) and Dr Watson (Lara Hancox) are, according to Peter, doing well.

Peter said: “As I had already adapted it, I had given thought to staging it. I and my right-hand woman and co-director, Helen Lawrence, tried to imagine it so we could move from scene to scene.

“Also, we have added humour to what is a dry script.”

The plot describes how Mary Morstan tries to discover what happened to her father after he disappeared 10 years earlier.

It includes one or two deaths, hints about Indian treasure, and romance for Dr Watson.

* For more information about GYC see altrinchamgarrick.co.uk. Tickets for the play, which is at the Garrick’s Lauriston Studio from March 5 to 10, are available by telephoning 0161 928 1677 or book online.