After two sell-out concerts in Dover at this summer’s Deal Festival, the Burning of the Boats production will dock at Deal again this week.

There will be two performances at St George’s Church, High Street, on Friday and Saturday, November 29 and 30, at 7.30pm.

Deal Festival commissioned The Burning of the Boats, a cross generation work with libretto by Martin Riley who has worked with Welsh National Opera, Scottish Opera and Glyndebourne. The production also has music by the festival’s own education director David Burridge.

Festival publicity officer Willie Cooper said: “The story is set on the night of 1784 when William Pitt ordered the burning of the boats on Deal beach to suppress the smuggling trade and is inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s poem The Smuggler’s Song.

“The tale follows the lives of a Deal smuggling family the Haggets and in particular their youngest daughter Betsy as they attempt to resist the power of the state while hanging on to their sense of family, community and livelihood.

“Performers from the Deal area will include Guy Scantlebury, Phoebe Watts, Chris Berriman, Jennifer Brisk and Peter Tullo”

The two young children are played by Beth McLaughlin-Aldred and Oliver Harket, and the costumes and historical adviser is Judith Doré.

Primary School children from The Downs Church of England and Hornbeam Primary will be joined by choirs from Dover Grammar School for Girls, Sandwich Technology College and Sir Roger Manwood’s. Adult choirs will be Manwood Singers, Deal and Walmer Handelian Choral Society, Landmark Show Choir, Really Promising Company and Pharos Choir.

The White Cliffs Symphonic Winds accompany the work. For tickets ring 01304 370220.