THE NEW drama season at the Lighthouse this spring promises to be the most thrilling ever.

Boasting a mixed programme of captivating shows, there should be plenty to keep the audience on the edge of their seats.

From February 24-25 the international smash hit comedy Bouncers arrives in Poole. Written and directed by John Godber, this multi-award-winning play set in the 1980s tells the story of one night in a Yorkshire disco, and is an outrageous parody of Saturday Night Fever.

All the gang are out on the town – the boys, the girls, the cheesy DJ, the late night kebab man and the taxi home – all under the watchful eye of the bouncers.

Three outrageous drag queens cook up an explosive brew of treachery, ambition and passion, setting an Asian family off on a path of bloody self-destruction in a bold new version of Shakespeare’s Macbeth from March 17 to March 18.

Tara Arts brings Indian movement and music to Shakespeare’s text, offering a powerful contemporary take on his darkest play. Starring Robert Mountford (Much Ado, RSC, Silent Witness) as Macbeth, with Shaheen Khan (Rafta Rafta, NT, Bend it Like Beckham) as Lady Macbeth.

Marking the 100th anniversary of the First World War, Birdsong, the critically acclaimed stage show based on the world famous novel by Sebastian Faulks arrives at Lighthouse on March 24 for a five-night run.

A mesmerising story of love and courage, set both before and during the Great War, it tells the story of young Englishman Stephen Wraysford as he embarks on a passionate and dangerous affair with the beautiful Isabelle Azaire that will turn their world upside down.

Claire Sweeney stars in and co-writes Sex in Suburbia – a brand new comedy about dating, men and finding Mr Right on April 25. Packed full of sensational songs including I’m Every Woman, this show will make you laugh, cry and dance in the aisles.

From May 7-9 you can catch Arnold Ridley’s classic comedy thriller The Ghost Train when it arrives in Poole. A group of travellers are stranded in the waiting room of an isolated railway station on a dark and stormy night, and react with various degrees of credulity to the stationmaster's warning of death to anyone who sets eyes on the ghostly train that haunts the line.

Now celebrating its 25th year in the West End, the gripping theatrical exploration of terror, The Woman in Black, appears at Lighthouse for the very first time from May 11 to May 16.

More than seven million people have lived to tell the tale of one of the most terrifying and successful theatre shows ever staged, which continues to thrill audiences with its unique blend of suspense, drama and bold stagecraft.

There are also two chances to see the very talented staff and students of Arts University Bournemouth, who perform Earthquakes in London from February 5 to 7 and Once in A Lifetime from March 5 to 7.

For more information call 0844 4068666 or visit www.lighthousepoole.co.uk