A new Ayrshire production company have been awarded £7,500 through the National Lottery to stage a free musical production with Kilwinning youngsters.

Poetic Justice Productions, in collaboration with Well Happy, will help up to 20 local children, aged from eight upwards, to put on the show.

And auditions and rehearsals will begin at The Playz in Kilwinning this Thursday night, October 25, from 7pm-9pm.

Called Happy Place, it looks at mental health, happiness and well being, self expression and confidence through seven weeks of development workshops and rehearsals.

It will culminate with the youngsters staging shows in Kilwinning's Cranberry Moss Community Centre.

Thanks to the grant from Awards For All, the young people involved will learn – free of charge – about all aspects of the production, including acting, singing, musical performances – with separate sessions on instrument tuition – stage management, costume and set design.

The company’s Helen Aitken said: “We would like to thank Awards for All for this generous grant, as well as Anne Robertson from The Playz for all her help and support.

“We have first hand experience of how access to drama can make a major difference to people affected by such issues and by poverty.

“Evidence proves it can improve their feelings of self worth, their confidence and their skills base.

“As well as empowering the community and helping them to tackle the issues affecting them, we hope to spread arts and culture throughout North Ayrshire, an area sadly lacking in theatre based events.”

For further details about the show, contact The Playz in Kilwinning on 01294 539717.