BRADFORD Interchange is to be the backdrop for a new play, inspired by people who work and travel through the station.

Called Brief Encounters at Bradford Interchange, the play will take audiences through familiar and hidden parts of the train and bus station,

It will be performed by Bradford theatre company Freedom Studios, "celebrating the city's warmth, welcome, humour and grit" in a series of linked stories.

The play was written by Sheffield playwright Rav Sanghera, who spent time observing comings and goings at the Interchange and interviewing bus and train station staff and passengers, and people who work in the shops there.

He studied historical archives, old film footage and newspaper reports about the landmark building and talked to local people about their experiences of the city, and memorable arrivals and departures.

Director Tom Wright said: “When I started out as Freedom Studios’ Associate Director three years ago I encountered Bradford for the first time, as an outsider.

"As I met Bradfordians from the city’s many different communities, they all told me the same thing; they were fiercely proud of being part of such a diverse city, which embraced difference. Here they could be part of a community based on their background, but also part of the wider city, without having to compromise on either.

"When Rav approached us with the idea of using Bradford Interchange - the meeting point of trains, buses, taxis, rental bikes and pedestrians, and the potential meeting point of people from dozens of different backgrounds - it made sense that this would be the perfect location to stage a theatrical celebration of the city."

From the cleaner who is always there to listen to the asylum seeker who sits outside asking for help, Brief Encounters at Bradford Interchange tells five powerful stories where cultures collide and connect, love blooms in unusual places and everyday people interact, meet, work and start and end journeys.

The production is supported by the Arts Council and Bradford Council and is part of Bradford's Shine Festival.

Freedom Studios is a multicultural theatre company connecting people and communities through storytelling and making theatre. Its previous site-specific productions include a play about Drummond Mill, based on real stories of migrant mill workers and performed in the disused mill, with the audience following the cast around the building.

Brief Encounters at Bradford Interchange will run at Bradford Interchange from October 6 to 10. Tickets are available at Bradford Interchange or on ticketsource.co.uk/event/93797

For more information visit freedomstudios.co.uk