A new live entertainment venue is set to open this spring in Stoke-on-Trent. 

Stage Productions will launch The Big Top Arena at Trentham Gardens later this year with its first production, the musical We Will Rock You. 

The purpose-built Big Top tent, is fully heated and features seating for 800 audience members. 

The temporary arena has been designed to deliver the atmosphere of a concert with the comfort and production quality of a modern theatre. 

Jonathan Forrester-Cliffe, a producer at Stage Productions, said: "The openness of a big top will give a much more immersive feel." 

He added: "Traditional theatres are definitely still associated with an art form that some people feel doesn't belong to them. 

"Bringing it into this temporary location will hopefully attract audiences who perhaps wouldn't normally step into a traditional theatre." 

The launch production, We Will Rock You, is a musical written by Ben Elton and featuring more than 20 of Queen's greatest hits including Bohemian Rhapsody, Don't Stop Me Now and We Are the Champions.  

The show is set in a future where live music has been banned, and follows a group of outsiders who rediscover the power of rock, rebellion and individuality.  

Jonathan, who previously produced Nativity the Musical in Stoke-on-Trent with his team, explained that Trentham Gardens is an ideal location for this new project due to the many live events hosted there as well as the facilities on offer at the site. 

He said: "There is a synergy between We Will Rock You and the hugely successful summer concerts that Trentham hosts.

"Obviously you can't do outdoors in March so it's ideal to be toasty and warm inside. 

"Aside from the live events, the estate has so many different offerings, whether that is restaurants and bars, the garden centre, the shopping village, the wheel and the gardens. 

"It really is a full circle entertainment offering." 

Performances of We Will Rock You will take place at the Big Top Arena at Trentham Gardens for a limited run from Saturday 7 March to Sunday 15 March.  

To book tickets, which start at £18, or for more information, visit the Big Top Arena website here.