Thomas Tallis is a portrait of the life of one of Britains
most successful composers set against the tumultuous
political backdrop of the renaissance. Living under four
monarchs, Tallis was forced to adapt his compositions
to suit their religious demands, but at what cost? In Swales
vividly imagined play, we follow the contrasting fates
of Tallis and a young priest, from the dissolution of the
monasteries through Marys bloody reign, via encounters
with a young Elizabeth and the mysterious Dr Dee, to their
dramatic conclusion.

When Bathsheba Everdene inherits a farm from her uncle, no-one expects her to run it alone. But our spirited young heroine will not be deterred and eagerly takes up the gauntlet.

She rises impressively to the challenges of sheep farming, but the trials of the heart are harder to overcome. Caught between a pair of suitors - the kind and dependable shepherd Gabriel Oak and the prosperous eligible bachelor William Boldwood, her choice seems hard enough. Then the dashing Sergeant Troy appears over the horizon, with a swagger in his step and a dangerous secret in his past. Who will she choose?

The essential guide to the GCSE set text. Blue Stockings is the riveting true story of the first women to study at Cambridge University. A moving, comical and eye-opening story of four young women fighting for education and self-determination against the larger backdrop of women's suffrage.