TEENAGERS are the target audience of four plays which will be performed in Worcester on Saturday.

Jump Start, a new theatre and writing showcase, will be coming to The Bee Line Festival for the first time on the weekend.

The plays, written by Richard Monk, Naomi Rule, Yasmin Haroun and Laura Liptrot, are aimed at those aged 14 and above

Project co-ordinators Steve Wilson and Lee Farley said this was the first time they have made plays for a specific audience.

"As The Bee Line Festival is a Storytelling Festival for children and young people it seems the right place to be trialling this type of work," added Mr Wilson.

The performances start from 7pm in the Bee Line Festival Theatre on the University of Worcester City Campus.

No booking is required and guests are invited to just turn up and support their local playwrights.

Entrance is free but donations of £5 per person can be made.

Meanwhile, the Jump Start team will also be running workshops on Saturday for people wanting to find out more about writing for young audiences.

Led by Lee Farley, the session will explore the dynamics of creating texts for a young audience from 11am to 1pm in the Bee Line Festival Theatre.

Councillor Lucy Hodgson said: "It's good to see Jump Start aiming their work at younger audiences.

"We need to inspire young people from an early age and encouraging people to write work specifically for this age group is an excellent way to develop younger audiences."

The project, funded by the Arts Council England and Worcestershire County Council and co-ordinated by the Worcestershire Arts Partnership and Worcestershire County Council, has so far showcased more than 40 new plays and performances by theatre makers in the county and wider region.