WHEN riots spread across the UK in 2011, no-one was more shocked than playwright Roy Williams.

But the 45-year-old admits he was not surprised, the events prompting him to write a play which is being staged at The Octagon, Bolton, tomorrow (Friday).

Set during the 1958 Notting Hill race riots and the riots of 2011, Advice for the Young at Heart asks how a new generation of teenagers can learn from the mistakes made by a previous one.

The BAFTA winner said: “I grew up in Notting Hill. I remember growing up hearing about the riots that took place there.

“When I did a bit more research into the coverage, it was very similar to the riots of two years ago.
“It just occurred to me how little has changed.

“I thought it would be a good history lesson for the young people watching the play.

“It’s just for them to get an understanding — they were not the first. They were not the first to rebel or be angry or frustrated. Generations ago, the same thing was happening.”

The play tells the story of Candice, who is ordered by her gang-leading boyfriend to lure Clint into a honeytrap.

Haunted by her grandfather’s mistakes, she stands at a crossroads — will she do as she is told or will she learn to be true to herself before history repeats itself?

Billed as a modern tale for riotous times, Advice for the Young at Heart spans three generations, exploring race, family and misguided loyalty.

Roy said: “I’m really excited it’s coming to The Octagon.

“It’s a play written specifically for young people.

“It’s a play I very much wanted to write after I witnessed the riots of two years ago.

“I was quite shocked by it although I wasn’t surprised. I knew it was coming, there was something in the air.”

Between August 6 and 10, 2011, thousands of people rioted in London and in cities and towns across England, the resulting chaos generating looting, arson and mass deployment of police.

The riots provoked comment on the morality of youth and the codes by which they live and Advice for the Young at Heart digs into the question of whether this is a new phenomenon or one young people have struggled with for generations.

Roy said: “I think we just need to change our patterns.

“We’ve seen the same things happen over and over again.

“The generation that started the riots in 2011, they felt anger and confusion, we should listen to them and understand why they did what they did.

“Try to encourage them to think differently to generations before.

“The politicians aren’t going to get their act together. They’re always out of the equation.”

One of today’s most recognised British playwrights, his play Sucker Punch was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play in 2010.

He decided to work in theatre after being tutored by the writer Don Kinch when he was failing in school and attending rehearsals in a black theatrical company Kinch ran.

He said: “My family arranged for me to have a private tutor. I would go to his house every Saturday, sometimes he would go off working on whatever play he was doing, sometimes I would go along.

“I would watch them rehearse and I enjoyed it and thought, that looks fun.”

Theatre Centre commissioned Advice for the Young at Heart to coincide with its 60th birthday and it has been touring schools and theatres, with workshops also being held.

Roy said: “It’s had a really good strong reaction, I’m really pleased about it.

“I’m a great believer young people are the future audience of theatre.

“I do believe when you’re doing work for young people, it’s got to be quality, it’s got to be good.

“I think, hopefully, it speaks to them.

“It’s a play about them.”

Advice for the Young at Heart is in the Octagon’s Studio theatre tomorrow at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £10 or £8 concessions, call 01204 520661.