IT makes no difference if you want to tread the boards in the West End or play at Glastonbury, a new performance group wants to help.

Padgate resident Mike Perks has teamed up with two friends, Claire Williams and John Donaldson, who he met while performing and writing plays to set up Soup Productions.

The group’s aim is to encourage the next generation of north west talent by specialising in performing, writing, live music and everything in between.

Mike said: “What really inspires us as a production company is original work. We love new scripts, original songs and anything that’s different or a little bit kooky. There’s a lot of performance groups around, including the two in Warrington I’m involved with – Centenary and Encore – and they usually do classic shows.

“They’re absolutely brilliant but I’m a big lover of creating stuff from scratch. The ethos of Soup is to be original, fresh and collaborative. We are looking for dedicated, enthusiastic, fun loving people who are passionate about performing and working with different people. Experience is not a necessity. We’re looking for people to bring the ability they’ve got and involve themselves with the production in some way whether it’s on stage or backstage.”

A free taster session is being held on Friday, at Grangeway Community Centre in Runcorn at 7pm. That will offer an introduction to the weekly group and its aims and there will also be a read through and character workshop of the first original play that Soup is putting together, Grimmsvalley.

Mike, 33, added: “It’s based on the Grimm brothers’ fairytales. We’re focusing on Hansel and Gretel, Rumpelstiltskin and Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

“They are three very twisted but family friendly versions of the stories and there is a massive twist at the end that combines all three tales.

“It’s set in a town called Grimmsvalley in which all these characters cohabit.”

By day Mike works for the Ombudsman Services but he has been involved with drama groups since he was eight. His University of Chester degree was also in performing arts management.

The Bawtry Court resident said: “I got involved with a couple of groups before setting up a group of my own called Split Ends which ran for about 10 years. Along the way I’ve been fortunate enough to meet some fantastic people and they’ve given me many opportunities.

“I joined Centenary two years ago and I’ve been lucky in that I’ve been cast in some really great shows with them. I’ve also had the opportunity to write plays, short films and radio plays. I’ve networked over the years and feel very blessed for these chances.”

The taster session at Grangeway Community Centre on Friday is free. The weekly sessions usually cost £3. Visit facebook.com/soupproductionsuk