MEMBERS of a drama group are set to perform their own show on the professional stage when they appear at Manchester's Contact Theatre tonight (Tues March 11).

Streetwise, based at the Information Shop for Young People, in The Rock, Bury, was set up in 1999 for young people aged 16 to 25 who have problems with self esteem, confidence and possible physical and mental health issues.

Their show, Our Sam, will be staged at the theatre at 7.30pm, and tells the story of 12-year-old Sam, who is sucked into a life in the underworld after witnessing a crime.

The cast of nine has been busily preparing for the event with drama worker Jackie Carroll and a team of four support workers.

Support worker Nigel Overbury, who has a part in the play, said: "I'm really proud of them all. They have come so far and have worked really hard. They have ownership of their production and we're just here to support them in what they want to do. This is by them for them."

The Streetwise group, which is a charity, has about 50 members who meet on Wednesdays and Sundays at drop-in sessions, and at drama sessions at the Met Theatre in Bury on Mondays.

The members are themselves responsible for Streetwise, supporting and helping each other. They chair their own committee meetings and decide where they want to take the project and what they feel would be beneficial. And the scheme is now hoping to extend its work by getting its own premises in future.

Mr Overbury said: "Some of these young people have faced real problems, but the work they have done on the play just shows how far they have come."

Tickets for Our Sam are priced at £5 and can be bought on the door of the theatre. The show is aimed at the over 14s.