Theatre Royal Stratford East will be staging a play by a first-time playwright this weekend starring its youngest actors.

STEP, a gritty drama about two teenagers leaving east London to start a new life at university, is written by Lynette Linton, a 23-year-old from Leytonstone.

Lynette’s script was picked up by the historic theatre in Gerry Raffles Square after she entered their new writing festival, Angelic Tales, in June.

Award-winning director Rikki Beadle-Blair developed the play with 12 performers aged 16 to 25 from Theatre Royal Stratford East’s Young Actor’s Company which helps young people gain hands-on experience in theatre.

She said: “When I agreed to taking STEP to the next level, I don’t think I was fully prepared on how much of a journey I would go on as a writer.

“Working with Rikki-Beadle Blair and the Young Actor’s Company has been inspiring, exhausting, amazing and beautiful.

“I am working with some incredibly talented people and every day is a magical experience.”

There will be four public performances of STEP, supported by The Act Foundation, at Theatre Royal Stratford East on Friday and Saturday at 2pm and 7.30pm.

Tickets are £6 / £4 concessions available at www.stratfordeast.com or by calling the Box Office on 020 8534 0310.