TWENTY two brand new and internationally travelled shows will play their way across Cumbria under the Highlights Rural Touring Scheme banner this autumn. Village halls countywide will host an exciting range of productions.

Included will be remarkable true life stories, sci-fi and Dicken’s classics and shows from the Edinburgh Fringe appearing alongside thrilling dance shows, festive productions and this year’s Contemporary Craft Tour, Craft and Conflict.

In total, there will be 36 performances.

Rural touring favourites, Farnham Maltings are heading to Arnside and Castle Carrock with a show about the impacts of rural electrification; Box Tale Soup return with Oscar Wilde’s classic tale about debauchery and scandal in The Picture of Dorian Gray at Alston and Kirkby Stephen, and Canada’s Rebecca Perry performs her multi award-winning show Confessions of a Red Headed Coffeeshop Girl at Wetheral and Orton; apparently a must for anyone who has ever had a job they didn't like.

Northern Stage relocate HG Well’s iconic sci-fi novel to the north east in War of the Words at Burgh by Sands and American storyteller Diane Edgecomb retraces her epic journey to record the last Kurdish storytellers at Appleby.

Music offers a cross-culture, cross-genre mix of, jazz, folk, country, blues and swing.

Billed among the season’s must-see shows is a Leviathan, a thrilling dance-theatre performance from multi-award winning choreographer James Wilton with his six-strong ensemble of fearless dancers taking on the story of Moby Dick in Appleby.

Additionally, Highlights annual Contemporary Craft Tour this year presents Craft and Conflict, a stunning exhibition to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War. The exhibition will showcase the work of 12 contemporary artists from Syria, Sweden, Sri Lanka and the UK in an exciting variety of media, including ceramic, textiles, enamel, resin and film. The exhibition will tour to Kirkby Lonsdale, Barrow and Shap.

The programme opens with Lyngo Theatre's version of Tom Thumb at Carlisle's Old Fire Station, on Sunday, September 16 (performances 11.30am and 2.30pm). Bookings on 01228-598596.

Elsewhere on the music front, Katie Doherty and The Navigators perform an evening of melodically rich, powerful and life affirming songs presented by three award-winning folk musicians. Led by singer songwriter Katie Doherty on keyboards, Shona Mooney on fiddle and Dave Gray on melodeon, the highly regarded trio perform at at Arnside Educational Institute, on Sunday, September 23 (7.30pm, 01524-762254); Water Yeat Village Hall, Ulverston, on Saturday, September 29 (8pm, 01229-885205); Murton Village Institute, Appleby, on Saturday, October 6 (7.30pm, 017683-53642) and Warwick on Eden Memorial Hall, Carlisle, on Saturday, October 13 (7.30pm, 01228-562771).

For further information go online at www.highlightsnorth.co.uk.