Members of White Horse Opera have drafted in some young talent to help with the set of their upcoming production of Verdi’s La Traviata.

Director Alexandra Den-man set designer Andrew Taylor a challenge by asking for copies of 13 post-Impressionist paintings to adorn the set for the opera, which is set in Edwardian Paris.

Mr Taylor said: “The painting has been a lot of work so I’ve enlisted a team of young helpers and have been regarding it almost as a teaching programme.”

The team of youngsters – Wylaney Russell, Candi Russell, Deavin Fok, Nicole Fok, Julia Bull, Sophie Oates and Dan Rushforth – have “worked their socks off” to complete the paintings which will be on show for the three performances next Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

To add to the accuracy of the production, singers have been asked to model their performances on real characters who were around in Paris at the time – artists, their models, writers, dancers and so on.

Tickets, which are on sale at Devizes Books, are said to be selling quickly.