A NEW play about the Battle of Passchendaele is to be performed in Oxford tonight.

The Muddy Choir, which is being staged at the North Wall Arts Centre in North Oxford, is the latest drama about the Great War, in the same tradition as RC Sheriff’s Journey’s End and The Wipers Times.

Soldiers from the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry were among those who fought and died in one of the First World War’s deadliest confrontations.

The British Expeditionary Force suffered about 310,000 casualties in the third Battle of Ypres in 1917, also known as the Battle of Passchendaele, between July and November 1917.

Jesse Briton’s play focuses on the lives of three soldiers serving with the Durham Light Infantry, as the Third Battle of Ypres draws towards its conclusion.

Freddie Cambanakis, originally from Oxford and who plays Will, one of the three comrades, said: “The hellish conditions of the trenches pushed one’s humanity to the limit.

“It is really special to see a story of hope and friendship in a time and place that was so utterly hopeless.”

Mr Cambanakis’s character emerges as the leader of his group as he and fellow soldiers Robbie and Jumbo are thrust into a landscape starkly different to the playing fields and estates of their Sunderland home.

The actor added: “Will has been a great character to play - other than getting to grips with his Sunderland accent.

“But the hardest bit about this role has been trying to understand the horror of the conditions these young boys were thrown into.

“Wearing all their heavy gear and working with rifles in rehearsals has really helped with that.

“I’m lucky enough that the reality of trench life is something I can only imagine.”

The Muddy Choir incorporates traditional wartime songs, with the characters dreaming that their music will be a ticket away from the front.

Mr Cambanakis added: “It’ll be lovely to be back in my home town.

"Oxford is our first stop after London before we head across the country, so I can enjoy some final home comforts before we head out on the road for 10 weeks.

“I first started acting as a child, with local youth group Musical Youth Company of Oxford.

“I was with them from the age of 12 to 18 doing musicals and concerts.

"After studying politics for three years in York I returned to Oxford and did more amateur productions.”

Mr Cambanakis said The Muddy Choir was a 'touching story full of youth, friendship and camaraderie'.

For more information visit northwall.com