The Pump House Children and Youth Theatre have been busy over the past two months, producing three main productions and creating and devising a number of festival winning mimes and improvisations.

The Pump House Children and Youth Theatre is a prolific organisation. Boasting 110 members between the ages of eight and 25 years. Run entirely by volunteers, it produces upwards of ten productions a year, without any subsidy or Art Council funding.

Their most recent group of plays were on show last week at their home in Local Board Road and were just as refined and entertaining as any of their predecessors. You might describe Shooting Truth as their stable favourite. It is one of the NT Connections’ plays and as such is entered into a nationwide competition. Whether it has the pedigree to reign triumphant and win the competition, we shall have to wait and see.

Shooting Truth is a well-crafted and polished piece of theatre and as one of the NT Connections repertoire, it can be seen on April 12 at the Oxford Playhouse.

The entire cast are to be congratulated but none more so than Hazel Farman, who played a very difficult character, very well and Holly Sullivan as Alice turned in a very complete performance.

Burn, BFG and Krindlekrax, were all well-produced and entertaining and the casts of all three plays are to be applauded on their hard work and effort.

Regardless of the artistic merit of the plays, the PHCYT provides a wonderful outlet for our youngsters and it is very evident that the children don’t just hone their dramatic skills while they are there. The friendships they strike up and the challenges they meet and overcome will be with them for life and so more praise to the volunteers and organisers, backstage, front of house and behind the scenes, who make it possible for our children to flourish and enjoy such a wonderful environment.

Paul Henley Wasshford