THEATRE buffs have been cramming into Stourbridge Town Hall to enjoy a taste of the West End.

Acclaimed actors such as Dame Judi Dench and the BBC's Sherlock Benedict Cumberbatch have been delighting audiences with sell out shows.

It’s all been made possible through the National Theatre Live Screen which is able to receive live West End shows through a satellite link to the Crown Centre.

The seven metre wide screen can receive both live and recorded London performances, which are entitled 'encore' showings, in addition to movies for the town hall's regular matinees.

This screen was installed at the Town Hall last September. Since then, more than 3,000 tickets have already been sold to see live West End and Broadway shows.

Tickets for Benedict Cumberbatch's Hamlet production and Dame Judi's The Winter's Tale were both sold out within days.

And already, the signs suggest Kenneth Branagh's Romeo and Juliet which is scheduled for next July will sell out quickly as well.

The new season of shows is set to start next Thursday, January 28, with Les Liaisons Dangereuses followed by As You Like It with Rosalie Craig on February 25, with Hangmen set to be featured on March 3.

These shows have been praised by Dudley Council's Khurshid Ahmed, cabinet member for planning and economic development, who said: "The National Theatre Live Screen is proving to be immensely popular, bringing the thrill of the West End and Broadway to local theatre-lovers."

The screen has been used to enhance the town hall's cinema offerings and is being used to project films for the regular twice monthly Monday matinees where customers can get refreshments included in the price.

More information and tickets for the shows can be obtained at www.dudley.gov.uk/see-and-do/entertainment-live