Broken Biscuits, Crucible Studio

Writer Tom Wells said: “I wanted to do a new play and I thought it would be nice to write about a teenage band. I was interested in having a go at writing some lyrics.

“There’s a bit of a Sheffield link because when I was a teenager the song I liked the most was Misshapes by Pulp. It has the lines: ‘Misshapes, mistakes, misfits,

Raised on a diet of broken biscuits, oh’.

“It sounded like a good starting point for a little teenage band with an entire box of broken biscuits 
to try and reinvent themselves a bit.

“It gave me the chance to have a go at writing some songs and tell a story about some teenagers who are not very cool.

“They’re at the end of year 11, just done their GCSEs, just going to the sixth form and they’ve got the chance to be a bit cooler.”

The young writer could really identify with his characters.

“I’m absolutely not cool and never was. I suppose this is a bit what I wish I’d done when I was 16, started a band with my mates.

I read books and was really quiet.”

Tom’s had a chance to live out that unrealised teenage fantasy a bit in the show, co-writing songs with musician Matthew Robbins.

Another city link to the show is director James Grieve, who studied at the University of Sheffield and was inspired to go into theatre by watching shows at the Crucible.

Broken Biscuits runs from tomorrow to Saturday.

Box office: at the venue, online at Sheffield Theatres or call 0114 2496000.