ACTORS and actresses will take to the streets for their midsummer performance while improvement work is carried out at the town's theatre.

Darwen Library Theatre is set to close for six weeks at the end of July in a bid to improve access for disabled users.

Bosses at Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council revealed details of the closure just 18 months after a £150,000 refurbishment project which saw the building transformed into what has been described as one of the top theatres in the north west.

The latest plans include levelling the stage to replace the existing three steps and a ramp, as well as installing an automatic entrance door.

But the closure has not put a dampener on productions after theatre officials decided to make the most of the summer weather and hold their first ever outdoor performance.

Theatre lovers will be drawn into a world of make believe and will literally have to follow the plot as the cast entice them into the fantasy world of J R R Tolkein's 'The Hobbit'.

The show will be staged by members of Darwen Library Theatre, the youth group, QFX and Talia Theatre Company at various places around Darwen's Bold Venture Park and viewers will be taken on a tour of the tourist hotspot as the story unfolds.

Rob Howell, principal arts officer at the council said they were determined to build on the success of the theatre over the last 18 months and said the outdoor show was another step forward.

He said: "Everybody remembers the theatre as an old lecture hall which we have now completely refurbished into a theatre which has been incredibly well received by the people in Darwen.

"We already have one of the most accessible theatres in the north west but this will make it even better,' he said.

"The improvements will not interfere with theatre productions as the summer is a generally quiet time and rather than getting people coming into a dark space we thought we would take it out to them in the sunshine."

"The outdoor production of The Hobbit is a bit of a first for us and for Darwen which we hope will be great fun."

Tickets for the performance which runs from Thursday, July 19, to Sunday, July 22 ,are now on sale priced £6.50 adults or £4.50 concessions by telephoning 01254 706006.