Creating live theatre with teen appeal is no mean feat.

Too old for children’s entertainment but with concerns that don’t get tackled by theatre for adult audiences, teenagers are not particularly well served by playwrights and producers.

But Liverpool-based company 20 Stories High, which specialises in theatre for young people, believes it has found the solution – by consulting teenagers over what they want to see.

It’s latest show, The Broke ‘N’ Beat Collective, is a joint venture with London performing arts group, Theatre Rites, and uses elements from contemporary youth culture to bring something completely different to the stage.

The Broke ‘N’ Beat Collective comes to Huddersfield’s Lawrence Batley Theatre on Monday, March 21, and promises an evening of raw, gritty, funny and moving entertainment; but also an exploration of teenage issues and hardships.

The Lawrence Batley Theatre at night

John Johnston, project manager for Theatre Rites, explains: “This show is for young people aged 13 plus, the age when they start making their own choices. It’s more challenging to engage with them. It’s a question of finding out what will be relevant and what will appeal to them.

“20 Stories High has a group made up of young people who are not actors but inform the pieces.”

And so the show’s themes include body image, sexual violence, neglect, relationships, homelessness and self-harm – serious stuff – but the action of the show is fast-paced and vibrant.

Since it’s inception The Broke ‘N’ Beat Collective has had reviewers sitting on the edge of their seats; initially not sure what to expect, but mightily impressed with the astonishing creativity and thought-provoking nature of the show.

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On stage are four artists: beat-boxer Hobbit; singer/rapper Elektric; puppeteer Mohsen Nouri and dancer Ryan LoGisTic Hartson, who use their talents to create 70 minutes of songs, hip hop, beat and spoken word; stories, poetry, physical theatre; dance, puppetry, multimedia, and more.

John further explains: “There are serious issues in the piece but it’s all about finding the right balance – and there is reparation and hope.

“We have created a framework and within that stories are explored.

“Some audience members are genuinely moved by what they are seeing and leave feeling quite uplifted. But we don’t want to put these serious issues on stage and leave it there so we have a freesheet with support organisations that we hand out.”

Tickets for the show, which starts at 7.30pm, are £7 to £12 from 01484 430528 or www.thelbt.org.uk