Anne and Henry come to Shropshire Castle

But its isn't a ghost – rather Henry, or actor Ben Andrew, is one of a cast of characters preparing to bring the middle ages to both screen and stage in the coming months.

Ludlow based film company Wild Edric Media, along with members of Here To There Productions Theatre Company, have been at Stokesay Castle, near Craven Arms, and also out and about in woodland near Ludlow, filming scenes for a short film that is being made to promote a longer play set to take to the stage at the end of summer.

Here To There Productions, a company based in Shropshire and Worcestershire that performs across the West Midlands, is getting together a production of Howard Brenton's play Anne Boleyn, to be performed at Hereford Coutryard in the last week of August into the beginning of September.

That will be a stage play, but prior to that the company is making a short film version that will be used to promote it – complete with costumes loaned from the Royal Shakespeare Company last seen on BBC historical drama Wolf Hall.

Carl Walker of Wild Edric Media, said: "The play is about the relationship between Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII and also Thomas Cromwell as well, so it deals with her downfall from being Queen of England."

Anne was a maid of honour to Henry VIII's first wife, Catherine of Aragon, but caught the king's eye. She refused to become his mistress, however, so he sought to have his marriage to Queen Catherine annulled so he would be free to marry Anne – but Pope Clement VII refused, sparking the start of the breaking of the power of the Catholic Church in England.

Anne gave birth to the future Queen Elizabeth I but did not give him a son and Henry soon began courting Jane Seymour and had Anne investigated for high treason as a way to be rid of her. She was beheaded in 1536 just three years after becoming queen.

Carl said: "Anne, along with Henry, changed the face of England because she introduced a new religion with the Church of England.

"The play is about them but a lot of it is told from the perspective of King James I who finds Anne's dress in a chest and starts to believe that he's seeing her ghost.

"It's also a funny play, however, there's a lot of humour in it – it's not dull history at all."

He said the Stokesay Castle was chosen for filming because it was remarkably well preserved and would have been flourishing during the period the play was set in.

The castle – actually a wool merchant's fortified manor house – was built in the 13th century, about 300 years before Henry's reign, but was still in use and developing at the time, as exemplified by the fact it's gate house was not built until the century after Henry VIII's death.

But it was not simply a matter of picking a location and turning up, he said.

"English Heritage have been great in letting us use Stokesay Castle," he said, adding that it was quite rare for the national body to allow small independent film crews like Wild Edric Media in to film.

The completed film will be available online at the Wild Edric Media site and tickets for the play are available at the Hereford Courtyard box office on 01432 340555.