WARTIME drama, young musicians and nautical tales come to Helmsley Arts Centre this week.

Badapple Theatre’s new production The Thankful Village will be performed on Friday, May 9, with a moving play that highlights the massive cultural effect of the First World War, a century after it began.

With a fresh and original viewpoint and the company's ever-stylish approach, this play has as much dramatic impact as the larger productions such as Warhorse and Birdsong.

Away from the horrors and deathly din of the trenches, the women of a rural English community face the prospect of being left behind, to cope as their menfolk march off to Flanders. Each faces the challenges in her own way, with resilience, humour, a sense of duty and whatever hope she can muster, as the years pass and they wait for news. They cannot know that their village will end the war as one of a very few communities, for which fate has reserved a special place in history.

On Saturday, May 10, the arts centre welcomes impressive young talent from the Sage Gateshead Performance Training Programme.

The concert features a variety of performances by the musical stars of the future. These young musicians appear as part of Helmsley Art Centre's North Star Series, which offers performance opportunities to young musicians across all genres.

The weekend finishes with a gripping illustrated talk, RNLI: Storms at Sea, on Sunday, May 11, with Whitby Lifeboat Station Coxswain Mike Russell bringing dramatic stories of rescues in all weathers. Whitby Lifeboat Station launched more than 7,500 rescues in 2013 alone, and has a remarkable history of bravery and more than 50 awards for gallantry.

All events start at 7.30pm and tickets are available from the box office on 01439 771700 or online at helmsleyarts.co.uk