We join the play far from the Mediterranean sun in front of a rigid torii, a traditional Shinto temple arch, and a metaphor perhaps for the stiff formal society which, in Bennett’s Much Ado about Nothing, helps account for the seeming death of Hero. This is a performance rich in emotion; from Beatrice’s sparkling wit, to the repressed fury of Leonato, whose daughter has been dishonoured first before and then by his overlord Don Pedro.

Two hours of rich Shakespearean English pass in a flash, with moments of high drama, interspersed with genuine hilarity and some cracking physical theatre. The large Sixth Form cast involves both students studying drama at A level and others who follow Thespis for the opportunity to enrich their curriculum.