From petty stealing to witchcraft trials, some of the murkier stories from the island’s history will be brought to life this week.

The Labyrinth theatrical group, will hold their 2019 show ‘Crime and Punishment’ at Castle Rushen over four nights, from Wednesday to Saturday, November 20 to 23.

The evening will see a group of more than 20 actors recreate real events involving the progress of law and order through Manx history, dating from modern day to as far back as Viking times.

The play has been organised by Jude Dicken, from Manx National Heritage, who said that the night is a great and entertaining way of learning about some of the lesser-known episodes in Manx history.

‘Labyrinth is basically promenade theatre, and it is a fast moving, interactive event where the audience is led round by a guide and they happen upon stories that are acted out around the castle,’ said Jude.

‘I don’t want to give too much away, but the stories are about crime and punishment on the Isle of Man, and range from very recent law all the way back to Viking law, and most periods in between.

The setting of Castle Rushen is especially fitting as it was once the site of the island’s prison.

‘We have included quite a few personal stories of people who were actually imprisoned in the castle, as we can’t forget that the castle was actually the prison until 1891,’ she said.

‘Some of the scenes we do are set in former prison cells, and we try and give you that sense of what it was like to be locked up. Although we do let you go at the end of the night.

‘This is not a lecture, rather we see this as history in action and the main point of Labyrinth is that you feel the history, and you empathise with the people, criminals and law-makers alike, while learning things you may not have known.

‘It is not a scare-fest,though, even though we do go wandering through the castle at night time.

‘It a surprising and enjoyable journey through the island’s history of crime and punishment.’

The performances start at 6.30pm each night, with a second show from 8pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Tickets for the Labyrinth production are £15, available from manxnationalheritage.com