MANCHESTER, 1983. Dave loves Rod Stewart, Joanne and his Ford Capri and is all set for a new start.

Joanne, however, is soon to have someone else’s baby. Is Dave ready to become a dad, even though he is not the father?

So begins SparkPlug, penned and performed by dual heritage writer David Judge for Manchester company Box Of Tricks, whose tour visits York Theatre Royal Studio tomorrow and Wednesday.

Judge's lyrical, punchy monologue examines what family means today in his exploration of race, identity and love built around the story of a white man who becomes the adoptive father, mother and best friend of a mixed-race child, David.

"The play is bold and unflinching in its portrayal of real, flawed human beings struggling to do their best and be their best," says director Hannah Tyrrell-Pinder.

York Press:

"If I'm honest, I think this is part of my heritage, taking that underdog mentality and performing best when my back is against the wall," says writer/performerDavid Judge

"David’s story explores family, racism, violence and masculinity, making an honest, clear-eyed comment on attitudes towards ethnicity in this country. But at its heart, SparkPlug is a play about love, the enormous love of one man for his son despite all that life throws at him."

Inspired by autobiographical events, SparkPlug reflects on Judge's experiences as an actor and spoken-word artist too. "As a 'man of colour', my voice as a writer has become a valued weapon, loaded and aimed at those without. As a 'man of colour', I sometimes feel pressured to speak for a community I know nothing of and feel I am being recruited to hate those without, the 'white man'."

Consequently, he presents SparkPlug as a "non-judgmental space in which to start a conversation, seeking to give people the chance to talk openly about these themes".

"This fight both inside and outside of myself makes me question where my loyalties lie. Who am I loyal to? And who to me? The answers are straightforward; my biological father, my 'Black', left me before I was born; my biological mother, my 'Blood', left me when I was seven years old.

"The only person who stuck by me, from boy to man, who grew and shaped me into the man I am today, was a white man. A white man with love and hate tattooed on his knuckles, with a ginger perm, with a Ford Capri, with Rod Stewart constantly on the stereo. So out of my loyalty to him, I have used my voice to write a play about the man who made me one. My Father. I hope it's enjoyed."

Recalling his childhood, David says: "I'm from Manchester, the south side, and I grew up liking football and attention, and the more I needed attention, the more I grew towards performing. So, at 19, I left Manchester to go to London to do the National Youth Theatre and go to East15 Acting School."

York Press:

"Who am I loyal to?", asks David Judge in SparkPlug

He found himself being cast as "the outsider", being of mixed race. "But I didn't mind that at all, as I could bring a real honesty to it," he says.

"If I'm honest, I think this is part of my heritage, taking that underdog mentality and performing best when my back is against the wall."

Growing up in Manchester, theatre was "not something I thought of for a first date", but nevertheless "performing, writing, expressing myself is second nature to me," says Judge.

"Being a dual heritage, working-class person in the north, David the artist had no problems, but David the young man had problems being misunderstood as a young, angry male, and that goes beyond being a black artist."

What ultimately is important, says Judge, is the need for different voices. "If we're going to become multi-cultural, we have to show that the playing field is level, so that we see a mixture of cultures and backgrounds," he says.

Box Of Tricks presents SparkPlug at York Theatre Royal Studio, March 19 and 20, 7.45pm; Hull Truck Theatre, March 21 and 22, 8pm; Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, April 8 and 9, 7.45pm. Box office: York, 01904 623568 or at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk; Hull, 01482 323638 or hulltruck.co.uk; Scarborough, 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.