WE WILL Rock You is Queen Katherine School's end of term cracker.

An absolute epic written by Ben Elton, the show is based on the songs of rock band Queen and first opened in London in 2002, becoming the 15th longest running show in West End history, running at the Dominion Theatre for 12 years. It toured the UK in 2010, 2011, 2013, and is apparently due to tour again in September.

Next week, it gets the full QKS treatment under the direction of head of performing arts, Caroline Barber and her hard working team.

The band, under the direction of former QKS music student Fergus Leach, consists of some of the most gifted musicians to come out of the school and singing teacher, Emma Trow, has been putting the cast through their paces as they learn the complex harmonies that are involved in singing some of rock's greatest songs. Meanwhile, QKS dance teacher Sophie Matthews has been busy choreographing the numerous dance numbers and performing arts technician, Colin Tulley, has been pulling out all the stops designing and constructing the set.

The glittering cast of more than 120 students is led by a highly talented group of year 12 A level students - who have all been involved in numerous musicals and drama productions since year seven - with other students from year seven through to year 12 supporting them throughout.

This year's production signals the end of an era for its inspirational director Caroline, who, as the final chords of the rock musical ring out across the Brewery Arts Centre theatre, brings the curtain down on her own teaching career.

Caroline says We Will Rock You has given them the most fun they've had working on a production: "Every song is a rock and roll classic and the cast and band are looking forward to raising the roof of the Brewery."

The story is set 300 years in the future in a globally corporate world. Planet Earth has been renamed Planet Mall and is controlled by the Globalsoft Corporation under the leadership of Killer Queen (played by Bradley Hamilton). The free exchange of thought, fashion and live music have all been banned and everyone wears the same clothes, thinks the same thoughts and go around in a haze. Musical instruments and rock music are all but unknown. Pop (Jonah Aldridge), an ancient hippie librarian, who is researching the secret history of Planet Mall through old copies of the NME (New Musical Express) comes across a prophecy "that salvation is to be found at the place of the champions and that a bright, bright star will show the way."

Meanwhile, a bunch of rebels, The Bohemians, are struggling to restore Planet Mall back to how it used to be in the age of Rock and Roll and are looking for the 'Rhapsody' to help them. Galileo (Alfie Shepherd) and Scaramouche (Lily Maiden), two outcasts from Planet Mall, stumble across Britney Spears (Phineas Worsley) and Meatloaf (Bernadette Dixon), who introduce them to The Bohemians and they quickly realise that Galileo may be The Dreamer that everyone is looking for to help them in their quest.

With some of Queen's biggest hits, including Radio Ga Ga, Killer Queen, We Are The Champions, Under Pressure, Another One Bites The Dust, Bohemian Rhapsody and, of course, We Will Rock You, the show couldn't provide Caroline with a more powerful and emotional charged platform from which to step into retirement, after 33 years of teaching, 19 at QKS.

During her reign at QKS Caroline put together 20 large scale annual shows (plus scores of KS4 and KS5 productions), 10 working with one of the region's most popular musical figures, Anne Pater.

"I have loved my time teaching and the musicals, throughout my teaching career, were always the highlight of the school year for me. I fully intend to go out with a bang and with this cast and this show that is exactly what is going to happen."

Will her final curtain call be tinged with sadness?

"Absolutely. The last night is going to be hard. But it will also be lovely in that I have so many former students coming back to share this last performance with me and I'm really looking forward to catching up with them all."

We Will Rock You runs from Tuesday until Friday, July 9-12, at Kendal's Brewery Arts Centre.

Box office 01539-725133.