CLASS A drug use in the county may have peaked while the majority of its inhabitants continue to turn a blind eye, but Leominster-based Fetch Theatre Company is tackling the issue front on.

The company first performed its hard-hitting show, The Masque of the Red Death, in 2004 to rave reviews.

Fetch's designer and director Andrew Purvin conceived the show because of his own experience of what life is like for young people in rural towns.

In an innovative collaboration with drug, community and youth agencies, he created an exciting piece of theatre that entertains and inspires, becoming a forum for discussion and debate.

"It's a fantastical show where issues come out," he said.

"I wanted to create something fantastic, wonderful and exciting."

Edgar Allan Poe's gothic masterpiece is retold in a dynamic, spine-tingling way using puppets, mask and a unique style of physical theatre. Instead of Poe's plague-ravaged city, the action is switched to a drugs-threatened, rural market town.

Seated inside a bizarre fairground, the audience is spun from scene to scene on a waltzer into the sinister world of the Master of Ceremonies, Prospero, and his House of Fun.

Hilarious, sad, beautiful and shocking, with a powerful contemporary soundtrack, the show blows out of the water any idea that 'puppetry is for kids'.

As the audience moves through the House of Fun, each room set represents a new drug - ecstasy, where everyone loves each other, then doesn't want to know each other in the morning; sugar, the first thing we become dependent on; alcopops...and on.

The two main characters, Brown Sugar and Golden Boy, represent two specimens of the depravity of what can happen through substance misuse.

Golden Boy has it all; a beautiful girlfriend, a steady job, a good family. Brown Sugar was sexually abused as a child and is running away from her life. The two help each other to overcome their addiction.

"I made a decision not to involve their characters romantically though," the director said.

"Too many people rely on their partner to get them out of drugs, which is a white elephant...you've got to get out of it yourself."

There is redemption in the end, with a return to Poe's original text and death played by a 10ft puppet.

From Birmingham originally, Andrew Purvin now lives in Ludlow with his own young family.

He was artistic director of Pentabus Theatre Company for seven years and has extensive international experience of designing and directing.

His future plans are to concentrate his efforts on Fetch.

The show has been developed for new audiences, introducing new things. "All the young people that saw it, really loved it," he said.

l Fetch Theatre Company presents The Masque of the Red Death at Hereford Town Hall until March 10. It is suitable for ages 14+ and tickets are free but should be booked on 01584 861589. The show then tours to Gwent (March 14-17), Malvern (March 21-24) and Much Wenlock (March 28-31).