A NEW play at the Milton Rooms next month is already a sell-out success - with more seats now available with the switch of the production to the main theatre.

Broken is the first full length play by local writer Libby Pearson and performed by the Pickering-based touring theatre company Clap Trap Productions, under her co-direction with Jane Hollington.

The performance in the Milton Rooms Studio on Friday, December 11, quickly sold out but extra tickets are now on sale thanks to a move to the larger Milton Rooms main hall.

Libby, who lives in Great Habton, said: "It’s great that local theatregoers want to support home-grown artists and we are fortunate to have such a wonderful venue on our doorstep."

A former student at Norton College and Malton School, Libby has had a varied career. She has spent the past 15 years as a community worker, much of it involving youth work, before giving up the day job to concentrate on her writing ambitions.

Libby is well-known locally as an artistic events organiser, including local arts festivals, and is one of the volunteer programme coordinators at the Milton Rooms.

Broken, tells the emotional and engaging story of young Ellie returning to the family home after working abroad. She finds that she is no longer the centre of everyone’s world and wreaks havoc around her.

Friendships, partnerships and family bonds are tested to their limits. Which of them will survive the impact?

While a work of fiction, Libby’s experience in working with young people and the real-life pressures they face locally in finding and affording a home of their own, have helped shape the play.

“ The economic crisis has increased the number of young adults having to go back home to live with parents, so in many ways this is a play of our times and it will have resonances for many people,” said Libby.

The cast of the play has played a key role, working for over a year with Libby from an initial idea to develop both the plot and characters before she distilled their ideas into a finished work. While not a festive play, part of the action takes place over Christmas and offers the audience intriguing food for thought about actions and consequences.

Tickets, priced £10, are available from the Milton Rooms box office or telephone 01653 696240.