A passion for regional stories and a natural talent for writing helped see Daniel Matthew’s first full length play produced at the Playhouse Studio in October 2013.

Daniel, now 27 and originally from Leeds, studied drama at Liverpool John Moores University with the hope of becoming an actor. Instead, his playwriting ability shone through and a tutor recommended the year-long YEP Writers programme.

From there he secured the funding to write his first play, Scrappers, initially for the Everyword new writing festival. It was so well received it went on to be given a proper theatrical run.

The play was the story of a group of scrap metal workers in Fleetwood dealing with changing times and an industry under threat. Daniel went on to become Leverhulme Writer on Attachment at the theatres.

“I like writing dialogue and telling stories that reflect the life I know.”

“The Everyman & Playhouse are the greatest theatres in the world. You go to some other theatres and there’s definitely a class divide. Back home, a lot of my friends wouldn’t dream of going to the theatre. So it excites me to tell stories that don’t get told."

“When I started the Young Writers course I never once thought it would end up being what it became, but I absolutely loved it. The theatres’ literary manager Lindsay Rodden was so thorough and enthusiastic, and it really rubbed off on me. It was an invaluable experience.”

Daniel now has a literary agent and is currently working on his second play, Folk Off, as well as beginning to write for television. He is the director of the youth theatre at the Dukes Theatre, Lancaster.