Frome Festival will stage professional drama productions at 10 villages in four counties thanks to a £5,000 grant from the Arts Council.

Four theatre companies from the West County will entertain villages surrounding Frome during this year’s festival from July 3-12.

Pretty Good Girl Dance Theatre presents Elvis Still My Heart to audiences in Norton St. Philip and Leigh on Mendip in Somerset, and Gillingham in Dorset.

Stuff & Nonsense Theatre presents children’s drama The Little Red Hen to Hilperton and Southwick in Wiltshire, Batcombe in Somerset, and Wellow in Bath & North East Somerset.

Boiling Kettle Theatre brings Thicker Than Water to Kilmersdon in Somerset, and Corsley In Wiltshire, and Sue Palmer performs It Is For The Tiger at Buckland Dinham in Somerset. Somerset’s Take Art and Wiltshire Rural Arts, two bodies that bring high quality arts productions to rural areas, helped organise the Festival On Tour project.

Project co-ordinator Martin Bax, founder of the Frome Festival, said he hoped the initiative would attract more people to festival events in the town.

“This is the first stage in a long-term process to expand the festival’s presence across the South West like ripples on a pond,” he said.

The Arts Council grant will cover shortfalls incurred from staging professional drama productions in smaller venues with limited seating.

Full listings at www.fromefestival.co.uk. Tickets from the festival box office on 01373 455420.