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Rehearsals have begun at The Fire Station, with a host of Sunderland talent, for the the National Theatre’s multi-location production of The Underworld, the fifth and final instalment of The Odyssey.

The Fire Station staged the fourth episode, The Island of the Sun, in April with the previous three parts in Stoke, Doncaster and Trowbridge in Wiltshire. London’s National Theatre itself hosts the finale.

The production marks the fifth anniversary of Public Acts, the NT’s nationwide programme to “create extraordinary acts of theatre and community”.

The Fire Station’s involvement is down to a partnership between Sunderland Culture, Sunderland Empire and the NT. About 30 dedicated volunteers from across Sunderland, representing all ages and backgrounds, performed at the High Street West venue.

The Odyssey was performed at The Fire Station in April. Picture by Brinkhoff-Moegenburg.

Now, 11 of those Wearsiders will join the community company at the National Theatre to perform The Underworld including Beth, 19.

She said: “From the age of eight I have travelled to London to look at the National Theatre building hoping I would perform on one of their stage one day.

"Now I am so excited to be going on that journey with a supportive cast on my journey to become a more experienced performer.”

The final episode brings together community performers from all previous performances, plus other members recruited through Public Acts.

The cast as suitably attired for the Sunderland leg of The Odyssey. Picture by Brinkhoff-Moegenburg.

Written by Chris Bush, with music composed by Jim Fortune and directed by Emily Lim, the fifth episode will be a full-scale musical production at the National Theatre on August 26-28.

Held captive by the nymph Calypso, Odysseus has all but given up hope of ever returning home. Back on Ithaca, her son Telemachus plots a rescue and, high above on Mount Olympus, the gods convene to set her one final trial – a voyage to Hades, land of the dead.

Travelling alongside the productions is The Galley, a 10-metre ship which came to Sunderland in April.

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Producers for The Island of the Sun, Sunderland Culture’s Helen Green and the Sunderland Empire’s Anthony Hope said: “This is such an incredible experience for our community cast; to nurture their skills, bolster their confidence, and the opportunity to forge life-long friendships has been nothing short of extraordinary.

“The ongoing partnership between Sunderland Culture, Sunderland Empire and the National Theatre promises even more exciting opportunities in the next few years”.

Sunderland stage talent's Odyssey to take them to National Theatre