"NOBODY dies at football matches in fires. It doesn't happen. But at 3.40pm on May 11, 1985 a small fire broke out in the main stand during the final match of the season against Lincoln. Within four minutes the wooden structure was ablaze and 54 Bradford supporters lost their lives, along with two Lincoln fans."

Those chilling words set the scene for The 56 - a documentary-style new play that opened in Bradford last night - paying homage to the 56 fans who lost their lives in the Valley Parade tragedy 30 years ago.

Law student Gemma Wilson, 22 and from Idle, co-wrote it with university pal Matt Stevens-Woodhead after meeting a man who said the disaster was not talked about much.

The pair spent a year on the project, talking to dozens and dozens of people with connections to the fire, from families who had lost loved ones to players from the match itself, police, firefighters and medics who treated the injured.

Not one word in the entire play is made-up, each and every word spoken has come from interviews - it is a verbatim piece. From those words, three characters have been created and it is their stories that are told to the audience.

The first of the characters is a woman now in her 40s looking back at the tragedy. She helped people get out of the stand but had to have skin grafts because of her burns. She also recalls Maggie Thatcher's visit after the disaster.

The second character is a man who since moved out of the Bradford area but was just 11 when he watched the fire occur. "When he went to school on the Monday he was only asked if he had been at the fire and when he said yes - that was it, no more was said which is terribly sad. There was no support or counselling or therapy like there would be today. He was very much left to grow up and get on with it," said Miss Wilson.

The third and final character is a man who was at the match with his father-in-law. He had gone to the back tunnel to get out where so many people died. Somehow he managed to get back on to the pitch and away - luckily both he and his father-in-law survived but he has struggled to cope with the aftermath.

Tickets are set to sell-out for tonight and tomorrow at Bradford's Alhambra Studio but there are still seats left, Miss Wilson said: "It's been a huge responsibility. It's exciting and nerve-wracking to perform it here in Bradford where it is so resonant."

So far the theatrical production, which is on an eight-date tour, has raised more than £1,000 for Bradford's Burns Unit at the University of Bradford.

The student theatre company behind it has already performed it at Edinburgh Festival last year and plan to take it back again later this year after the current eight-date tour which as well as Bradford, took in Barnsley, Lincoln and still has nights to come in Sheffield and London.

Miss Wilson and her co-writer brought their idea to the stage with help from FYSA Theatre, a Yorkshire-based company founded by a group of Sheffield University students.

The company has also been touring schools with workshops based on the event of May 11, 1985 as part of their message that what happened that day must never be forgotten.

"This is why we wrote The 56 to make sure it will always be remembered. Now it has been told in this way, it will always exist forever. If other companies want to stage it then I'm sure we can talk to them about it," she said.

Mr Stevens-Woodhead said: "This project would not be possible without the support of the families and witnesses who so generously contributed their time and stories. It has been a tremendously humbling experience.

The production has also recently won accolades at the National Student Drama Festival in Scarborough - it won the Best Ensemble Award, Danni Phillips was given the spotlight award for the best actress and the Director's Guild Newcomers award went to Mr Stevens-Woodhead.

Ajay Mahajan, who is a consultant plastic surgeon at the Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit (PSBRU), has seen a preview of the play and last night went again with colleagues.

He said: "Although it has been 30 years since the disaster at Valley Parade, the memories of it are still vivid in people of the generation who were in Bradford at the time. The younger generation of today are fortunate that they were not there, but the events of that day is something that has huge historical significance and has had a long lasting impact on the people of Bradford.

"The 56 play will go a long way in creating awareness about the Bradford fire and its consequences in the younger generation. The FYSA researched the entire subject for months, interviewed various people who were affected and did a fabulous job of putting together a very important piece of Bradford's history. They have done this very selflessly, without any funding or sponsors, spending their own money and donating away the proceedings to a very charitable cause. The play itself is obviously very moving, but the FYSA's selfless gesture is equally moving. I wish them the very best for the future and we are very grateful to them for their contribution which would help us to carry on our research work for improvement of healthcare for the future."

Tickets for the Alhambra Studio performances cost £11.50 each. To book call the Box Office on 01274 432000.