WE have all rooted for Simon Pegg aka Shaun, the electronics salesman striving to win back his beloved amidst a zombie apocalypse.

Now, Almost Legal Productions, an ambitious theatre troupe and motley crew of 'zombie moaners' is poised to retell his journey of strife complete with the obligatory guts, blood, prosthetics and legion of flesh-devouring living dead in the very first stage adaption of the iconic movie, Shaun of the Dead Live.

For the uninitiated Shaun of the Dead, a Nick Frost, Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright collaboration, follows its eponymous anti-hero, a man stuck in a dead-end job and veritable bar fly.

When his girlfriend Liz finally dumps him, Shaun finally gets the prompt he needed to turn his moribund life around, repair his relationship with his mother and face up to his responsibilities - all in a bid to regain her love . But Shaun's plan had not accounted for the zombie uprising gripping the world and threatening to eradicate humanity.

"It was quite a coup being given permission do it on stage," enthuses Alan Marshall, who plays Shaun's nemesis - his stepfather Phillip. "We had a first trial run in October, with four nights and a cast of 40-odd - we had a lot of zombies. It has got a zombie dance and musical elements. People thought it was mental. It's great what you can do with a zombie dance. But we've now cut it down to about 20, more people are doubling up on roles."

While keen to leave its mark on the show with an even greater emphasis on the zombie contingent - the Gloucestershire -based company was keen to remain true to the original plot and characters, as portrayed by the movie's cast.

"It has a cult following," adds Alan, a former engineer. "Because we are presenting a film adaptation there is always a risk; you are expected to produce the characters from the film. I play Phillip so people expect me to play him like Bill Nighy. You can give the character a twist but people would be disappointed if we departed too much from the film."

While adept at taking their ambitious adaptations to relatively small town halls, and diminutive venues around the Cotswolds and South of England, Shaun of the Dead presented a whole new set of complications. Not to mention the need to explore untapped acting potential.

From mastering the living dead moan and stunted demeanour to some serious gut-spilling management, rehearsals proved a learning curve for all involved.

"It's an anarchic comedy take on the whole zombie genre and sometimes the practicalities of doing it crept in somewhere but we engineered solutions. It's been very hectic. We also had to create a set work that would work in smaller theatres.

"And it takes quite a lot of work to produce a credible moan. But I'm sad to say it actually came quite naturally to me. Most people find they have an inner zombie waiting to come out.

"A lot of the wounds have been created out of latex gel and can be stuck on. We had four workshops where we made our own stick-on flesh wounds. But I also had to resort to the traditional red-ribbon for some wounds."

In keeping with the troupe's deep-rooted tradition of audience participation - its past productions include The Rocky Horror Picture Show- 'survival bags' full of projectiles to be hurled at the stage on cue will be available for sell prior to the performance.

"People will really get the full zombie experience. But we have made sure not to choose anything too hard. They won't take anybody's eye out. It's definitely throw-safe."

Shaun of the Dead Live will come to the Wyvern Theatre on Thursday, June 18 at 7.30pm. Tickets are £16. To book call 01793 524 481 or visit swindontheatres.co.uk.