From curtain opening to dramatic denouement, young actresses at Loreto Preparatory School produced a play in a day under the direction of former West End performer Debbie Hilton.

All children in Year Five at the Altrincham independent preparatory school enjoyed a speaking part for the 15-minute one-act drama based on the lives and loves of the Vikings with young Orla Flynn part of the fierce but often misunderstood entourage of Scandinavian invaders who settled in the North-West 1,000 years ago.

Debbie, from the drama in education company Stage Centre, explained: “We have 100 plays with which we tour the country each giving young children a chance to learn about stage craft, theatrical production and performance, but also key topics in the curriculum.”

She said: “I love coming to Loreto Prep; the girls are so expressive, love to perform and enjoy every element of the day starting at 9am and finishing at 2.30pm with a performance. They remind me a lot of myself when I was that age.”

Loreto Preparatory School headteacher Helen Norwood added: “The girls have to concentrate, work hard, be disciplined and work as a team to make sure the show goes on and they loved every second, especially the invasion scenes.”