A TALENTED Haslingden teenager is seeing red about his new starring role due to hit a theatre in Manchester next month.

Fourteen-year-old Luke Butler will appear in Streetz, a musical that tell the story of the lives, loves and losses of families living on a Manchester street.

The Haslingden High School pupil plays ginger-haired Connor, who is teased by the other children because of the colour of his hair.

He gets his own back with one of the show’s most popular songs – When Gingers Rule the World.

The ambitious show was written from scratch by the directors and young people of the North West Youth Theatre School, in Manchester.

Luke, of North Street, Haslingden has been part of the theatre school for six years.

He said: “The show was created from our own ideas, and I put in the suggestion about the teasing I get for being ginger. "It’s nothing serious, just a bit of banter, but I thought we could get something funny out of it. I loved the song when written.”

Streetz is to be performed on May 4 and 5 at the Abraham Moss Theatre in North Manchester.

As well as performing in the show, Luke has also recorded a version of the ‘ginger song’ that will be released on YouTube ahead of the show.

The quality and professionalism of Streetz have won praise from celebrities including television actor Gary Damer, a patron of the theatre school – and also a redhead.

Gary, well-known for his role as Lenny Lemon in CBBC’s Hotel Trubble, said: “I was blown away the first time I saw Streetz. The production is so polished that it’s hard to believe you’re not watching a professional show.”

Prab Singh, Director of the North West Youth Theatre School, said: “We thought the best way for young people to appreciate brilliant musical theatre was to write their own show.”