A FUNNY yet groundbreaking drama set at the end of a Lancashire Wakes weekend just before the outbreak of the First World War is running at The Dukes this week.

In the spotlight at the Lancaster theatre until Saturday (March 28), Hindle Wakes is set in the fictitious town of Hindle and centres on a mill worker’s holiday fling with the mill owner’s son and the ructions it causes among their families.

Written in 1912, it was one of the first plays to have a working class woman – Fanny Hawthorn - as its main character.

The famous play was considered to be hugely controversial when first performed, championing the role of women as they embarked on a new era of independence and reflecting on class differences.

Fanny and mill owner’s son Alan Jeffcote return home after a weekend alone together in a Llandudno hotel - kept secret from their parents, and from Alan's fiancée Beatrice.

But when a dramatic turn of events exposes their deception they find themselves in conflict with both sets of parents. Faced with the pressure to ‘become an honest woman’ Fanny is determined to pursue her own future.

Hindle Wakes, which will be performed in The Round, is directed by the Olivier award winning David Thacker who was director at The Dukes during the 1980s. He went on to work for the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre and Young Vic in London. Several of his productions have transferred to the West End. David is currently artistic director at Bolton Octagon.

Performances start at 7.30pm with a 2pm matinee on Saturday.

The Dukes box office on 01524-598500.