Northern joy for the northern stage: New play to tour Yorkshire

A new play written by two Leeds Conservatoire graduates will tour around Yorkshire this September.

- by Jennifer Cartwright

Family First blends song, dance and stories of old as it tells the story of of a family struggling to keep their pub afloat in the modern age.

It's created by Danté Thomas and Tyler Pickles, founding members of Rebel Roots Theatre Company, and they hope the play will help diversify the performing arts industry by redefining both who acts in theatre and where it is performed.

The pair also star in the show alongside students and fresh graduates.

Family First began as an idea four years ago but the style and characters were very different.

Deciding that scripts feel most authentic when connected to a writer's own experience, the pair chose to reshape their idea and integrate their personal experiences, as a block writer and a writer of Irish descent, into the storyline.

For Danté, it is important that audiences feel this personalised aspect when they watch the show.

He said: