The season for student end-of-year productions is fast approaching in the performing arts curriculum at West Nottinghamshire College, Mansfield.

A series of emotive productions will be coming to the Derby Road-based Create Theatre’s stage, addressing incest, family abuse and murder.

First to come to the stage on Wednesday and Thursday 3 and 4 May is the BA Theatre students’ production of Shakespeare’s classic, Pericles.

The story of Pericles, the Prince of Tyre, sees him fleeing Antioch and going back to Tyre because he knows that Antiochus, the King of Antioch, is having an incestuous affair with his daughter. Antiochus is determined to kill him and pursues him.

The show starts at 7pm and tickets cost £5 per person or £4 for concessions.

The following week it’s the turn of the HND Year 2 students who are delivering two performances in one on Wednesday and Thursday 10 and 11 May from 7pm. Their production of Getting Attention by Martin Crimp addresses the delicate issue of child abuse.

Young couple Carol and Nick are driven by their obsession with each other disregard the elephant locked in the room. It puts across the ignorance and powerlessness of neighbours and government officials unable to prevent the atrocities being committed in front of their eyes.

The evening also includes a pre-show performance of Face to the Wall which is a playlet that has been taken from a play called Fewer Emergencies by Martin Crimp.

A man tells a story to two other people in a bare office – a murderous story about a massacre. He tells of a man who walks into a school and shoots the receptionist in the mouth. He moves on to a classroom where he takes out the teacher. Then he starts on the children, one by one.

Tickets for this double billing, which starts at 7pm cost £5 per person or £4 for concessions.

The following week it’s the turn of HND Year 1 students to put their acting skills into force with Taking Care of Baby by Dennis Kelly, on Wednesday 17 May.

Students will act out this story based on the Donna McAuliffe case; a woman who was convicted of the murder of her two children. Donna and her mother Lynn reveal how they may have harmed the ones they sought out to protect.

The show starts at 7pm and tickets cost £5 each or £4 for concessions.

To purchase tickets visit www.createtheatre.co.uk to book tickets or call 01623 413363.