THE POWER of positive thought has paid off for the Bursledon Players. The local am-dram group found out with only three weeks before curtain-up that they could actually put on the play they had been rehearsing for months.

A query over renewing licences to perform the hilarious comedy Noises Off by Michael Frayn meant there was a possibility they may not be able to put on the show. Steve Humphreys who makes his debut as a director with this play said: "We'd printed tickets, actors had learnt lines, so we decided to just keep on going and keep our fingers crossed that the licence would be renewed. I didn't even let on to some of the actors there might be a problem."

This fly-on-the-wall comedy revolves around the back-biting, romances and disillusionment of a struggling professional theatre group playing the less than glamorous provincial theatres.

Bursledon Village Hall, Bursledon, November 14 - 16. Performance: 8pm. Tickets from £5, £6.50 on Saturdays to include an American supper. Box office: 023 8056 1821.