A youth theatre joined forces with a circus to devise a play based on the Ugly Duckling story.

The two-week project, run by Haringey Shed, sees young people from across the borough learning spectacular stunts with circus group Upswing.

Artistic director Ed Latter said: “I’ve thought about the story for a while. We went to Upswing and thought – how can we get the Ugly Duckling into a circus show?

“We’re going to do two shows, both called Freak, one for the younger people and one for the older people. Both will be shown on the same night, with a 45-minute break in between, and they’ll both be set in a circus ring.”

Toju Egodo, 11, and Ashai Foster, 14, said the group had spent the week working on their play, to be performed later in the month, and honing their circus skills.

Toju, who has been coming to the theatre group since 2012, said: “We’re all here and we all have a part to play.”

The group will perform at Haringey Sixth Form Centre on August 16.