A PLAY written and performed by a talented pair of North-East college students has been chosen to be performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Harry Lidford, 19, and Con Best, 19, began working together while studying drama at Stockton Sixth Form College.

The teenagers, both from Hartburn, initially wrote a two-minute comedy sketch during a lesson and developed it into a 20-minute final production for their course.

The play centres on a man, called The Doctor, who tries in vain to teach a servant called Zanni to be a gentleman and woo a woman.

Harry and Con later turned their play, entitled “Squeeze Harder, Zanni” into a full-length performance which was performed to great reviews at the college at the end of January.

It was suggested they should apply for a spot at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and a theatre company called C Venues was sufficiently interested to offer the friends a one-hour slot each day between August 2 and 28.

“We’re just so excited and it’s going to be a great experience,” said Harry.

Harry has an offer to do maths at Durham University from the autumn but plans to carry on writing, while Con is hoping to get acting jobs.

In the meantime, they are trying to raise money to fund going to Edinburgh this year. As well as staging performances at college, they have a Crowdfunder appeal set up at www.crowdfunder.co.uk/squeeze-harder-zanni-edinburgh-fringe-2017.

Further updates are being posted on Facebook at “Third Absurd” and Twitter “@ThirdAbsurd”.