AUDIENCE participation, heart-rending drama, farce, comedy and seasonal fun are just a few of the highlights of The Rose Theatre's diverse new season schedule.

Resident group The Nonentities will be leading the way this autumn as they tread the renowned Kidderminster boards with a host of productions ranging from psychological drama to timeless children's classics.

They kick the season off with Richard Harris' Dead Guilty, a "sharp psychological study of revenge" which runs from September 11 - 16.

But the mood is set to lighten considerably with four performances of Ray Cooney's classic farce Not Now Darling beginning September 20, as presented by Kidderminster Operatic and Dramatic Society.

Something a bit different is on offer for one night only on September 24 - members of the audience will be encouraged to sing along with Gilbert and Sullivan's spectacular The Pirates of Penzance.

They will be taught the tunes, provided with scores and treated to a performance of light opera by professional singers while taking a role in the chorus.

The Nonentities are set to premiere Bob Larbey's new light comedy Sandcastles from October 14 - 21 as the theatre branches out into a wider range of shows.

Their production Letters Home, which runs from November 6 - 11, will be at the opposite end of the spectrum as it examines the "heart-rending" correspondence between ill-fated poet Sylvia Plath and her mother Aurelia.

But before this, a special occasion has been planned which will highlight 50 years of group membership for one distinguished Nonentity.

A gala evening on October 22 will celebrate the work of Sheila Jacobs, and will feature readings and scenes from many of the plays she has directed or performed in over the past half-century.

The theme, described by Rose Theatre spokeswoman Pat Taft as a "celebration of female endeavour", is set to continue two days later when Not The National Theatre brings Eileen Atkins' Vita and Virginia, which examines the relationship between Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West, to Kidderminster.

A variation will be provided by Peter Barnes' Corpsing, which takes the form of four short plays, performed by Bewdley Amateur Theatrical Society, from November 16 - 18.

And a traditional Christmas is most definitely in store for Wyre Forest theatre-goers courtesy, once again, of The Nonentities.

Dave Simpson's adaptation of E Nesbitt's classic novel The Railway Children will run from December 8 - 16 before the group's well-established evening of words and music - rounded off with a mince pie and a glass of mulled wine - begins a three-night run.

The Christmas Entertainment begins on December 19.

l The fun is set to continue into 2001.

Highlights include Jimmie Chinn's comedy of family secrets Straight and Narrow, and Ben Elton's satire Silly Cow, as performed by Walrus Productions.

Theatre-goers will also have the chance to spend an evening with some of the stars of legendary radio soap The Archers in the new year.

More information - and tickets for all of these shows - are available by calling The Rose Theatre on 01562 743745.