The tale of Ben Hall has reached a whole new audience and a group of locals have found a whole new passion.
Volunteers brought to life the 1986 play, The Trial of Ben Hall, to mark 160 years since the bushranger's death earlier this year.
But the play booked out so quickly, and was so well received, that they agreed to do it all again with another two performance scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, 2 and 3 August.
By the close of it all, Monica Wren from Galari River Arts was ready to announce that it was the beginning of a new amateur musical and dramatic society for Forbes.
Penned in 1986 by then Forbes solicitor Dominic Williams, The Trial of Ben Hall brings forward the characters of the day and looks at the Escort Rock Gold Robbery that occurred just outside Eugowra, as well as the events that preceded it.
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The play saw the historic former Presbyterian Church transformed into an 1860s courtroom for the occasion with furniture from the Forbes Museum.
Over three shows, the cast has shared the Ben Hall story with more than 300 people, including visitors who were drawn from Canberra, Sydney, Newcastle, Orange, Molong, Cowra, Canowindra and Eugowra to see it.
One very special guest made the trip over from Tomingley hoping she'd be able to get a last minute ticket at the door.
Barbara Dunn of Tomingley is Hall's great, great, great niece - the granddaughter of his brother William.
She was delighted to have the opportunity to see it and very pleased to know the story, so steeped in local history, is still being told.
Mrs Dunn was full of praise for all involved in bringing the story to life, and the cast were delighted to spend time with her.
"I'm only sorry it won't be on again next year," was her review.
The imagined trial has been an opportunity to open up discussion about our region's history, Mrs Wren said.
Even better, they've started the conversation with a new generation with primary school children attending the weekend's performances, and a number of young people involved.
The cast included Zoe Morrison, Ava Garland, Lexi Millerd, Violet Millerd, Isla Kennedy, Chloe Prior, Isabel Shaw, and Drew Barter.
"Presenting our history in a fresh and exciting way to a younger generation was one of our aims, and I couldn't be happier," Mrs Wren said.
It will continue in future with the formation of an M and D, with details of course to come in future.
Their next project, at this stage, will be to bring to life a Paul Wenz radio play, Master of Nanima.
