A PLAY about the plight of Myanmar's Rohingya refugees is to receive it's world premiere in York.

The Bone Sparrow, Zana Fraillon’s moving story for young adults about a Rohingya refugee boy who has spent his entire life living in a detention centre, has been adapted for the stage by award-winning Australian playwright S. Shakthidharan.

Directed by Pilot Theatre’s Artistic Director Esther Richardson, the new production will have its world premiere at York Theatre Royal from February 25 to March 5.

Subhi is a refugee. Born in an Australian permanent detention centre after his mother fled the violence in her homeland, life behind the fences is all he has ever known. But as he grows, his imagination gets bigger too.

One night, Jimmie, an impatient girl, appears from the other side of the wires, and brings a notebook written by the mother she lost. Unable to read it, she relies on Subhi to unravel her own family's mysterious and moving history.

The cast features Yaamin Chowdhury as Subhi and Mary Roubos as Jimmie.

Playwright S. Shakthidharan said: "So often we are beaten down by the world. We reshape ourselves to fit into it. Subhi's story is different. In The Bone Sparrow this imaginative young boy discovers within himself a strength that will change the world around him. It is a classic coming of age story: and yet, so much more.”

The Bone Sparrow, York Theatre Royal, February 25 - March 5 at 7.30pm, with 2.30pm matinées on March 3 and 5. Box office: 01904 623568/ yorktheatreroyal.co.uk