YORK company Theatre Mill have been granted permission by the Agatha Christie estate to perform the first site-specific staging of Witness For The Prosecution.

No wonder Andrew Dowbiggin, David Bowen and Adam Elms were so keen to land roles in Christ ie's courtroom drama in the York Guildhall Council Chambers, where the murder trial of Leobard Vole will unfold from Wednesday with the audience being issued tickets designated for the Judge's Circle, Jury Boxes, Dress Circle and Public Gallery.

Vole, played by Dowbiggin, stands accused of killing a rich widow who has bequeathed him a substantial sum of money. The stakes are high as a young man fights to escape the hangman's noose, faced by a shocking witness testimony and impassioned outbursts from the dock.

"With the nature of the way that Christie has crafted this play, it's better that people maybe don't know it," says director Samuel Wood. "One of the reasons that we chose it is that people have preconceived notions that Christie's plays are dusty and out of fashion, but I was really, really blown away by its gravity. All those preconceptions were smashed away and when people see it, their preconceptions will be smashed away too.

"When I picked up the play for the first time, I admit I had a lot of peconceptions, so I did so with a heavy feeling, but as I read it, the pages turned over quicker and quicker and by the end I was flabbergasted by how engaging it was. I have no doubt that anyone who comes along will be equally affected by it."

Andrew Dowbiggin agrees.

"There's a lot more depth to this play than people might expect. They aren't cliched characters and it's our job and our duty to mine that truthful thread. These are real people in real situations, and I feel that the surroundings we've picked for this production, in the council chambers, will add to that because we're thrust into this claustrophobic environment."

Samuel believes the combative nature of the council chambers will suit the production. "Thinking about the site-specific setting, from reading the script, you can tell that Christie was no stranger to the courtroom. It's almost verbatim in its precision, so in that space it was ticking so many boxes as the Christie play we should do," he says. "If I had a choice, I would go for the site-specific location every time with this play because I think it's what it needs.

" I'm always surprised there aren't more courtroom dramas because it's a perfect theatrical format, and this one will be truly immersive because, with the inner court in the council chambers, the audience couldn't be more involved. As a director, that's an electrifying and exciting prospect."

David Bowen will revel in the chambers' atmosphere in his role as barrister Sir Wilfrid Robarts QC, not least in his proximity to the audience. "It's going to be a great moment of joy for them when they come into this place, which will really set their mind on what they're coming to witness," he says. "They'll definitely feel part of the courtroom drama."

"And lest we forget, the courtoom is a theatre," points out Andrew.

Adam Elms is returning to the Theatre Mill ranks as a solicitor, Mr Mayhew, having played Dr Watson in Sherlock Holmes And The Speckled Band at Treasurer's House, York last November.

"I fell in love with York when I worked on the Sherlock show, and there wasn't a dull moment in that production or when we took it to Ripley Castle, which offered another very different experience," he says.

"What I enjoyed was the immersive nature of the show, so there was a buzz before we even started. It felt like a special event more than a theatre show, where everyone got swept along with the story."

Looking forward to seeing how audiences react to Witness For The Prosecution, Adam says: "It'll be interesting for people to see inside a building they may not know and hopefully its magic and theatricality will be there from the beginning."

So will the tension in a courtroom where "the verdict is only the beginning". "It's set in the early 1950s when capital punishment was still in place, so the stakes are immediately raised," says Samuel.

"Stakes don't get any higher," re-emphasises Andrew, slipping smoothly into defendant mode.

Theatre Mill presents Witness For The Prosecution, York Guildhall Council Chambers, Wednesday to April 20; Wednesdays to Saturdays, 7.30pm; Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays, 2pm. A post -show discussion with director Samuel Wood and the cast will follow the first night's show. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk