Teenage playwright turns Trash to treasure on West End stage (From Warrington Guardian)

Teenage playwright turns Trash to treasure on West End stage

2:44pm Thursday 7th February 2013 in Where I Live

A TEENAGER from Padgate has written a play that is now being performed in London’s West End.

Luke Gilfedder, aged 19, of Steel Street, became one of the theatre hotspot’s youngest writers when his play Trash launched Tristan Bates Theatre in Covent Garden.

He turned down a place at univeristy to form production group Finn Youth, made up of friends from Warrington, who produced the play.

It follows the lives of an array of characters in a working class estate in Manchester.

Luke said: “I think I’m one of the youngest people ever to have a play performed on the West End, which is funny because I’d never seen a theatre show in my life before starting the group last year.

“I was only into writing and I guess I used to read pretty well but I didn’t plan a career, I just wanted to do something independent because I guess not enough young people do interesting things any more.

“Theatre just happened to be the most realistic medium when it came to doing a first performance.

“It has since exploded and we now have a group filled with unusually talented people.”

The play has been backed by fellow former student and National Theatre director Sir Nicholas Hytner.

Dr Christopher Ray, Manchester Grammar School high master, where Luke was a pupil, said: “To see Luke flourish, and to have the guidance of Sir Nicholas Hytner, is a real pleasure.”