Llangwm's ambitious World War I opera comes a step closer to realisation when tickets go on sale next week.

More than 1,000 tickets for the five productions of WWI, a Village Opera, in November, will be on sale from Monday (October 6) at six outlets: the Victoria Bookshop in Bridge Street, Haverfordwest, Llangwm Shop and Post Office in Llangwm Village, Newtown Stores in Hook, Gate2Plate Farm Shop in Lower Freystrop, Seaways Bookshop in West Street, Fishguard, and The Post Office, Long Street, Newport.

Funding for the production, part of the Llangwm: a village at war project, which also includes an exhibition, has been provided by the Heritage Lottery Commission and the Community Covenant from the Ministry of Defence.

Dates for the productions are Wednesday, November 12, and Thursday, November 13, at Cleddau Reach VC School in Llangwm, Saturday, November 15, at the Memorial Hall in Newport and Friday, November 28, and Saturday, November 29, at the Merlin Theatre in Pembrokeshire College, Haverfordwest. Tickets cost £5, but school children are admitted free.

"Tickets are being offered free of charge to secondary schools for the Merlin Theatre performances, and if parents want to bring children to any of the performances they can request free tickets when they buy their own," said Jane Mills, chair of Llangwm Local History Society, the organisation behind the opera.

"A thousand tickets sounds a lot, but we've already had an extraordinary level of interest from the general public.

"I suspect we'd be able to sell the tickets many times over."

Rehearsals have continued throughout the summer and as the production dates draw closer, members of the cast are rehearsing with composer Sue Howley and director Carol Macintosh twice a week.

The opera, penned by Sue, who comes from Llangwm, and Peter George from Newport, tells the story of a young couple, Tom and Mary, whose lives are turned upside down by the war.

It's set in Llangwm before and during the First World War, with scenes also depicting the battlefields of the Western Front.

"Providing some of the special effects we need has been quite a challenge," commented Jane. "We've needed to source special non injurious barbed wire for example, plus guns - not real ones fortunately - uniforms, and the sound and visual effects illustrating the battle scenes.

"The couple playing the parts of the young Tom and Mary, Dave Moore and Louise Hales, really bring to life Sue's music and Peter's words, and bring home the way the war ripped apart families and destroyed people's dreams.

"Other parts are played by local people - there's been very strong involvement throughout the community and everyone is saying how much they've learned about the village and the effect the war had on it.

"Over the past few weeks, the performance has really come together and we realise how lucky we are to have professionals such as Peter and Sue behind the production."