Distinguished writer, playwright and theatre director Jane McCullough again brings her expertise to the Bermuda stage, and specifically the Bermuda Festival, when The English Chamber Theatre, which she founded, presents `If I Should Die...', a memoir of the British soldier-poet Rupert Brooke, at City Hall theatre tonight and tomorrow at 8 p.m.

Rupert Brooke, whose poems `Granchester' and `War Sonnets' were among his most memorable, was born in 1887 and died on his way to the Dardanelles in 1915 at age 27. Despite his short life, the handsome young man captured the imagination of a whole generation with his writing, and left successive generations to wonder just what more he might have contributed to the world of literature had he lived.

Brooke's story will be told through the eyes of a woman who knew him from his early days at Rugby, where he was born, to the heady days at Cambridge, the move to the Old Vicarage, Granchester, visits to Munich, the fated love affair with Katherine Cox, his breakdown; then, life in London, meeting the actress Cathleen Nesbitt, his travels to North America and the Pacific; and the war experiences cut short by his untimely death.

British actress Gemma Jones is cast in the starring role of the friend, while fellow Briton, actor James Glover plays the role of the poet.

Miss Jones, who played Madam Pomfrey in the blockbuster film `Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets' and Bridget Jones' mother in the film `Bridget Jones's Diary', has appeared in many of London's famed West End theatre district performances and has extensive experience with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre.

Actor Ed Stoppard fills the role of Brooke. His screen credits include playing Henryk in Polanski's `The Pianist', an appearance in `The Little Vampire', as well as being featured in `Enzo Ferrari' directed by Carlo Carlei. Television work includes `Murder in Mind', `Queen of Swords' and `Relic Hunters'.

Mr. Stoppard, who is the son of renowned playwright Tom Stoppard, has recently been appearing in a West End production of `Wit', and has also starred in `Road to Ruin' and `Saint's Day' for Sam Walters.

Multiple award winning pianist Marcus Andrews completes the on-stage trio of `Rupert Brooke - A Memoir'. Both as a soloist and chamber musician, he has appeared regularly in concerts at top London venues as the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Royal National Theatre, Purcell Room, and Chelsea and Westminster Arts, as well as at music societies and festivals across south-east England.

In addition, he has given recitals in Italy and the US. His many commitments include working as an accompanist at the Dartington Summer College, Trinity College of Music and with several choirs and operatic societies. He has also studied intensively in Positano, Italy.

Director Jane McCullough needs no introduction to Bermuda theatregoers, having directed six major productions for the Bermuda Musical & Dramatic Society. Under her direction the English Theatre Company has performed all over the world, and all of its productions, some literary entertainment others full scale plays, are devised, written and directed by Miss McCullough. Their small casts demand virtuoso acting.

`Their Finest Hour' (1992) was the English Chamber Theatre's first Bermuda Festival production, followed by `Beethoven in Vienna' in 1994, and `As Long as Ye Both ...' in 1999.

For further/ticket information see today's Bermuda Calendar.