IN what is believed to be a first for British theatre, Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre is presenting tonight's performance of Stepping Out with Polish captions.

The 7.30pm show is using the same technology as a standard captioned performance for the deaf or hard-of-hearing, but the caption board is displaying the script translated into Polish.

Lisa Cagnacci, the theatre’s associate artistic director, says: “There’s a substantial Polish community in Scarborough; we’ve been showing Polish films in our cinema for some time now, and they’ve been very well attended, so we thought it was time to take it a step further.

“We’ve enlisted the help of two wonderful bilingual volunteers, Wanda Maciuszko and her niece, Wanda Ward, to translate Richard Harris’s brilliant script for us. We really hope that our local Polish community will enjoy a great night out."

Pictured with the Polish flag are the Stepping Out cast members, from left: Sarah Pearman; David McKechnie; Fenella Norman; Gemma Page; Suzanne Procter; Angela Phinnimore; Joanne Heywood; Claire Eden; Natasha Calland and Alix Dunmore.