SOME playwrights can work for years before they get their big break.

But Luke Gilfedder has already had one of his plays presented in the West End and can count Sir Nicholas Hytner, the former artistic director of the National Theatre, among his contacts.

Now the 22-year-old from Padgate is continuing to reap the rewards of setting up 'Finn Youth Productions' after showcasing two of his pieces at the Royal Exchange.

Luke told Weekend it was like going full circle because he wrote his first major play, That's Jam, for the Manchester theatre in 2012 as part of the Truth About Youth project

The programme aimed to inspire young people to challenge negative perceptions about their age group.

He said: "‘My first show at the Royal Exchange was a huge moment for me so to return to where it debuted was a great experience."

Luke's new plays, Wasted and Returning From This Holiday, follow on from the themes of That's Jam.

All the plays explore how young people lived in 1940, how they do now in present day and the desire for the 1940s wartime spirit to live on.

"A lot of it was inspired by talking to my grandma Mary about what things were like in Warrington during the war," added Luke.

The former St Peter's RC Primary School pupil first started telling stories when he was 10. He made a series of short films at Woolston Eyes.

"They were strangely serious for a bunch of 10 year olds," said Luke, who set up Finn Youth Productions with Angus Macalister.

"One of them was based on Twin Peaks by David Lynch and our teacher didn't know what to make of it. It was called Spirit of the Limbo.

"Funnily enough I used to force two or three friends to be in them and they used to hate doing it but eight or nine years later they are in some of the performances.

"My friend Greg O'Hara was in the films and was the lead actor in That's Jam."

But Luke's big opportunity came when he was at Manchester Grammar School and met Sir Nicholas Hytner.

His major successes while director of the National Theatre included Miss Saigon, The History Boys and One Man, Two Guvnors.

Luke added: "Every year my school would invite people from a certain industry to come and give a talk and in 2012 it was theatre.

"The head speaker was Sir Nicholas Hytner, there was Mark Chapman from Match of the Day and they had me at the bottom of the bill.

"I got to speak to Sir Nicholas and I went down to London to meet him again and he gave me some tips.

"I went back, wrote a script called Trash and sent it in and it got on at Tristan Bates Theatre in the West End.

"One rule we have is we never hire actors from professional sources.

"They are either my friends or people who have got on board with the vision of what we are doing

"Some of those on stage have very little acting experience but are dealing with it really well and giving really good performances."

Luke is now working on a radio play called Vampire By Implication, inspired by Lou Reed's The Raven.

DAVID MORGAN