Leigh Manning at Futureworlds

Leigh Manning

Leigh Manning, 18, from Middleton, took part in Futureworlds, an event organised by The Royal Exchange Theatre Studio in Manchester, which asked young people to imagine their vision for a future society in the year 2020.

The event, which took place between Thursday 14 November and Sunday 17 November, brought together a mix of young people from a variety of performance backgrounds.

Leigh said: “It was a fantastic event which involved so many young people from across Greater Manchester.”

For his involvement in the event, Leigh wrote a piece for a play entitled ‘24 Hours in the Dark.’ This brought together 24, 250 word plays written by young people and authors Chris Thorpe and Andy Sheridan to create one 50 minute play.

“My part was about a man who was suffering from insomnia because he was worrying about the world over populating and how that would affect him,” said Leigh.

Leigh based his play on his own fears and worries of the future. He said: “I saw a clock on the internet once which showed that every seconds 10 babies are born and that worried me a little.

"There is also that added fear of job security in the future.”

Leigh, who is currently studying at college, also runs his own theatre company called Make It Public Productions. The company creates ideas, rehearses and performs in public places giving audiences who don’t always see theatre the chance to see performances. The company has been running since March this year and allows Leigh to work in all aspects of theatre.

“I can do a bit of everything with the company so I don’t just focus on one aspect. I can do acting, directing, producing and playwriting so I try and do as much as possible,” said Leigh.

After his involvement in Futureworlds, which is part of Truth about Youth, a partnership with the Co-Operative Foundation, Leigh said he would certainly take the chance to do something like this again. He said: “I would definitely get involved again if the opportunity came along.”