Could you have fought in the trenches in World War 1? A local production of an opera commemorating the start of hostilities is looking for three or four young men who could play the part of soldiers – and you don’t even have to be able to sing.

There’ll be five performances of the opera in November in Llangwm, Haverfordwest and Newport, Pembrokeshire.

According to Carol Mackintosh, director of WW1: a Village Opera it would make ‘all the difference’ to the performance to be able to swell out the ranks of men playing the parts of the young volunteers.

“They don’t have to sing – though they can if they want to – and best of all they won’t have to learn lines.

“We have three battle scenes, the final one at the Battle of the Somme on the Western Front. And we need more young men, aged between 16 and 25 or thereabouts so that the scenes look realistic.

“We’re using a lot of sound and visual effects to depict the battles, and as a soldier in the trenches you’d be wearing battle dress of the time – which we’d provide of course – and carrying a mock-up rifle.

Much of the story is set in Llangwm before the war and up to the present day, and the battle scenes are interwoven with the story of a young couple whose lives are touched by war.

About 50 people from Llangwm, Haverfordwest and the surrounding area have been taking part in weekly rehearsals through the summer, at the same time becoming familiar with the history of the war and how Llangwm people coped with its effects.

The opera was commissioned by Llangwm Local History Society from composer Sue Howley from Llangwm and librettist Peter George from Newport.

The opera and an associated exhibition, also to take place in Llangwm, received support from the Heritage Lottery Fund as part of a project to help the local community explore the legacy of the First World War in Llangwm and to understand the impact it had on the village.

Volunteers for the parts of the soldiers can get in touch with Carol by email (carolagarrett@googlemail.com)