A THEATRE costing £40,000 has been opened at a pri- mary school by civic dignitaries.

The Mayor and Mayoress of Sunderland, Councillor Bill Stephenson and his wife Jean, launched the facility at Barmston Village Primary School, in Washington.

The occasion was marked by a visit from some of the cast members of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, currently appearing at Sunderland's Empire theatre, who attended in full costume.

A mechanised audience seating area for 110 people has been fitted, and is the only one of its type in use in a Sunderland school.

The pupils operate the system, which retracts along the rear wall when not in use and takes less than ten minutes to set up.

The system includes an Internet-linked DVD projector and new sound and lighting system.

Headteacher Ann Henderson said: "The theatre and drama studio promotes speaking and listening skills, while building pupils' confidence through activities, stage and music performances.

"We hope to encourage the utilisation of the facility outside of normal term-time and provide an advanced multi-media learning resource for school clubs and community groups outside of school hours."

Also at the launch was Alan Crawley, from the council's property services' section, which managed the theatre scheme.