Students from the Penryn Campus have joined with several other bodies to stage a large scale production commemorating the many Cornish miners who fought during the Battle of the Somme.

As part of the First World War Centenary commemoration and the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site’s Tinth anniversary programme, the event will take place near the cliff tops at Levant Mine from July 1, the 100th anniversary of the first day of the which saw over 19,000 British troops killed.

Produced by Collective Arts Ltd, a theatre company that specialises in large scale community productions, The Trench is a cultural event that explores the contribution made by Cornish miners serving on the Front Line during the First World War.

Research is well underway and students from Tremough are helping uncover information relevant to the production, along with locals in Penwith, and the St Just and Pendeen Old Cornwall Society.

The production is in partnership with Levant Mine and the National Trust, Cornish Mining World Heritage Site, Miracle Theatre, Tremough University and local schools in Penwith. The company are looking for physically fit individuals to rehearse as community performers for the event and guide participants throughout the performance.

This is an interactive theatrical experience that simulates life in the trenches using an area of No Man’s Land landscape, and audience members will become participants who ‘enlist’ and are given a real identity, taken to the trenches and discover for themselves the realities of life on the Western Front and the build up to going over the top. The experience will culminate in the mess tent, where participants will discover the real-life fate of their character in a fascinating exhibition curated by the National Trust.

Cllr Julian German, chairman of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site Partnership, said: “Tinth will bring something for everyone - schoolchildren, the general public, the wider community, visitors to the WHS and also to the Cornish mining diaspora across the globe.

The First World War, with the loss of so many men to the front, and its impact on world markets, had a major impact on Cornish mining, and The Trench enables us to explore this.”

He added: “ As with other Tinth events, The Trench will help people to learn, understand and ultimately feel proud of their community’s heritage.”

Performance dates are from Friday July 1 through to Sunday 10th July 2016 inclusive, limited to 60 people per performance. Tickets on sale from February 15 through the Cornish Riviera Box Office, with a family discount for peple in the TR19 area.

Rehearsals will take place in St Just-in-Penwith and begin in May 2016.

For full details please visit www.collectivearts.org.uk