JUNIOR members of The Customs House Youth Theatre are taking to the stage in an original play they worked on with a professional writer.

Laura Turner was commissioned to write a piece of theatre for the group and she came to South Shields in October to meet them and hear their ideas for the show.

The piece they came up with was StereoTYPED, which will be performed at The Customs House on Monday, March 26, at 7.30pm.

StereoTYPED is a 40-minute piece of drama about friendship, life online and figuring out who you want to be when growing up feels like the whole world is telling you who you should be; it can be a confusing blur.

The junior group is led by Jayden Blacklock, who is in the final year of her drama studies at the University of Sunderland. She took over the group in September 2016, having been a member of The Customs House Youth Theatre for four years.

Jayden said: “The Juniors have been working extremely hard on this challenging and thought provoking performance. They’ve enjoyed every minute and we can’t wait to showcase what we’ve been working on.”

Laura Turner has written more than 20 original plays and adaptations of classic novels for Chapterhouse Theatre, including an acclaimed production of Jane Eyre for Hull Truck Theatre in 2013.

She was a writer on the online series EastEnders: E20 and now writes original online content for EastEnders. Her short educational film, The Empty Throne, won a Learning on Screen Award in April 2016 at the BFI.

StereoTYPED stars The Customs House Junior Youth Theatre members, who attend weekly sessions at the venue and are aged between 10 and 15.

The senior section will perform The Ceasefire Babies by Fiona Doyle on Monday, April 16, and Tuesday, April 17, at 7.30pm, at The Customs House, before transferring to Northern Stage in Newcastle, as part of National Theatre Connections.

Tickets for both shows are available on a ‘pay what you feel’ basis from the box office on 0191-454 1234 or online at www.customshouse.co.uk