A NEW play about Bradford writer Andrea Dunbar will be staged in a pub in the city centre.

Based on Adelle Stripe’s acclaimed novel Black Teeth and a Brilliant Smile, recounting Andrea’s troubled, brief and defiant life, it is produced by Bradford theatre company Freedom Studios, which has presented plays at locations including Bradford Interchange, the former Drummonds Mill and a fish and chip shop.

Andrea Dunbar grew up on Buttershaw estate and wrote her first play, The Arbor, aged 15 as a CSE English assignment. It premiered at the Royal Court in London and she was commissioned to write a second play, Rita, Sue and Bob Too, which was made into a film by director Alan Clarke. Andrea wrote one more play, Shirley, and died of a brain haemorrhage in 1990, aged 29.

Black Teeth and a Brilliant Smile is set in The Beacon pub, Buttershaw, in 1990. In the play, Andrea, who has achieved success with Rita, Sue, and Bob Too, is a young mother-of-three and is struggling with her latest work. Her aching head is full of voices, stories from her past which have to be heard.

Adapted by screenwriter Lisa Holdsworth, who has worked on TV dramas Call the Midwife, Ackley Bridge and Waterloo Road, the play will open at The Ambassador pub on Sunbridge Road, Bradford, running from May 30 to -June 8, prior to a tour. Tickets will be on a ‘Pay What You Decide’ basis.

Lisa Holdsworth said: “It is both a great pleasure and privilege to be writing this play. It will not only be a celebration of the life, work and unique spirit of Andrea Dunbar, but also of Adelle Stripe’s extraordinary book which brings out Andrea’s humour and bravery.”

Adelle Stripe added: “I am delighted that Freedom Studios will be adapting my novel, transforming Andrea Dunbar’s story from the page to stage. Lisa Holdsworth is one of the region’s most respected screenwriters and is a loyal and outspoken supporter of Andrea’s work. I couldn’t think of a better person to adapt Black Teeth and a Brilliant Smile.

"Director Kash Arshad is a ferocious talent, and under his stewardship I have no doubt that Andrea’s life and work will receive a dynamic retelling in venues across the north.

"As one of Yorkshire’s greatest female writers, Andrea’s legacy is finally being recognised. This new production, which will be cast in the city that made her, is finally bringing Andrea back home.”

Freedom Studios is an award-winning intercultural theatre company connecting people and communities through story-telling and theatre. Black Teeth and a Brilliant Smile is directed by Kash Arshad and designed by Hannah Sibai. Casting will be announced in the coming months.

* For tickets visit freedomstudios.co.uk