Play about homelessness touring to Derbyshire spotlights plight of estimated 6,000 people in East Midlands who have no home

Sabrine Laurison rehearses for the play UNKNOWN (photo: Lisa Hounsome)

A new play about homelessness will be performed in a Derbyshire theatre.

UNKNOWN is inspired by a true story of a young man who suffered an abusive childhood and struggled to survive life on the streets.

Moira Hunt, director of the production company Roughhouse Theatre said: “It should be seen by everyone who has ever crossed the road when approaching a homeless person in the street.”

The play tours to Derby Theatre on October 15 and should strike a poignant note with inhabitants of the East Midlands where an estimated 6,000 people are living homeless.

UNKNOWN has been written by award winning playwright Dougie Blaxland with the assistance of six people who have recent experience of homelessness on the streets of Bath and Bristol: Sammy Clark, Nathan Dempster, Ian Duff, Paul Jones, Lloyd Rusdale and Anthony Williams.

First performed as a radio play in 2020 and developed as a stage drama for a short tour in 2021, UNKNOWN has already received widespread acclaim - including being listed by The Guardian as one its readers’ favourite plays of 2020.

Tickets cost £12 and £10 (concessions), go to www.derbytheatre.co.uk