A play written by the Red Rose Chain's youth theatre during lockdown, is set to hit the stage in February.

'Outcast' is an adaptation of the sixth-century epic poem Beowulf, and will be performed at the Avenue theatre, Ipswich, on February 25 and 26, and March 4 and 5.

19 year old Rei Mordue, a writer on the production, said: "I’m really looking forward to performing Outcast! With so little else going on during lockdown, it’s been the centre of my focus for a long time.

"Getting to hear my own words performed in front of an audience is very exciting.

"I think in a lot of ways it was more productive over Zoom, or at least productive in a different way.

%image(15110065, type="article-full", alt="19 year old writer Rei Mordue said she is "really looking forward" to performing Outcast.")

"I could leave the call with lots of ideas and just start writing straight away.

"Organisationally I’ve learned a lot. Taking pieces of script from a dozen different people and trying to fit it all together has been a new challenge, but a fun one.

"Often we didn’t have a clue what anyone else would write, we’d just get a topic that needed fleshing out and everyone would come back the next week with completely different perspectives in their writing.

"Trying to put all those ideas into one piece was good fun.

"It surprised me how many people have heard of Beowulf but how few actually know what the story is about.

%image(15110066, type="article-full", alt="Outcast follows on from the youth theatres previous production, The World Turned Upside Down, another historically based production, around Matthew Hopkins, the witchfinder general.")

"It’s suggested it was written in Rendlesham, and to have such a famous story originate so near by and for not many people to know it seems like a shame.

"Telling this story in an accessible and memorable way has been my aim when writing.

"Outcast has given me a lot of confidence in my writing and has encouraged me to write more.

"Moving forward, I’d like to continue collaborating on scripts, and hopefully tell more important local stories by doing so."

Artistic director at Red Rose Chain, Joanna Carrick, said: “It has been a truly uplifting experience and great privilege to work with these young people during lockdown and witness this wonderful play emerging.

"Outcast is a fabulous piece about then and now and is highly relevant, moving and perceptive. Our Chainers have proved themselves to be an inspiring creative force and turned a really difficult time into an opportunity which has made them into brilliant writers.”

Tickets cost £12 and can be bought here: https://redrosechain.com/outcast/details

%image(15110067, type="article-full", alt="Joanna Carrick, Red Rose Chain's founder and artistic director Picture: Contributed / Archant Archive")