AN IMMERSIVE play for teenagers and adults is heading to the Forest Forge Theatre in Ringwood.

Off the Grid is by children’s theatre specialists Half Moon. It has been written by David Lane and is directed by Chris Elwell.

The story is told by two performers, Jesse Bateson and Bradley Connor .

Connor and Kelly are brother and sister. They share the same birthday, but ten years apart. Since the disappearance of their parents, when Kelly was three, they have been dependent on each other for survival.

David says: “ Off the Grid is about two abandoned children: a brother who at thirteen makes an impossible promise to his three year old sister. He does this for the most genuine, humane and compassionate reasons, but doesn’t know it’s impossible when he makes it. By the time he realises, he knows that in breaking it he’ll destroy the only thing that has made their joint experience of a cruel world bearable. But without surrendering that thing, he can’t fulfil his own needs as a human being. Can he sacrifice his needs to maintain someone else’s happiness, and can he keep the biggest promise he’s ever made to the one person he’s vowed to protect?"

He adds: “I wanted to write a sibling story, but through that to explore the role of a parent. What might happen if you shouldered a young person who had passion and creativity and hope with the responsibilities of being a parent – and how does that conflict with the huge self-discoveries that occur when you change so much between the ages of 13 and 20? What happens when the values that you've invested into creating a whole fictional world, for the benefit of somebody else's protection, are no longer compatible with how you see yourself?”

Director Chris says: “ Off the Grid is a compelling piece of new writing for young audiences that isn’t afraid to ask some difficult questions about surviving on the poverty line.

"The immersive style of the production means audiences will become an integral part of the heartbreaking action and witness at close quarters the emotions’ of the characters as the struggle to survive over a decade of time.”

Off the Grid is at Forest Forge Theatre on December 1. For tickets visit forestforgetheatre.co.uk or call 01425 470188.