A new play by Derry teacher Gary Breslin, set in the week after Bobby Sands' death, will receive its world premiere at the Millennium Forum this October as part of the theatre's 25th anniversary celebrations.

Breslin's script, The Body of Bobby, was chosen as the overall winner of a year-long writing initiative involving eight finalists. He received a £3,000 bursary and guidance from Derry playwright Brian Foster. Meghan McLoone was named runner-up.

The play, set in 1981, follows a group of teenagers who decide to stage their own hunger strike. Breslin, a 28-year-old English teacher originally from Hazelbank, said the work examines how young people process grief and conflict. He described it as having humour and heart, and as an homage to those he called heroes.

David McLaughlin is producing the play, with Kieran Griffiths directing. Griffiths previously worked on The White Handkerchief and Hume: Beyond Belief. The production is sponsored by Diamond Corrugated.

Performances run from Thursday 8 October to Saturday 10 October. Tickets are available from the Millennium Forum box office.