ROCK and roll frontman to rock n roll playwright.

That's Clacton's Dave Garlick, who after graduating from his MA in playwriting at Essex University is having his debut play staged at the Wivenhoe Campus.

Face Down in a Land of Freedom looks at truth and storytelling, in life, in the media, and in theatre.

The inception of the play started with a radio news programme in 2014.

Dave explains: "I can't really say what the report was about because that would kind of ruin the play but it was listening to an actor saying the words of one of the victims that really got me.

"For legal reasons those involved were not heard. Actors were used to protect the innocent. What was heard in the broadcast may have painted a thousand pictures, but not the whole truth.

"The play is about truth and lies but also the ethics of verbatim theatre. There's a moral code when you do something that's based on real events and actual people but there's also the fact, we're in the entertainment industry as well. Theatre is there to entertain. That's a fine balancing act to tread sometimes."

Lead singer and songwriter for the Lowriders, Dave knows all about the entertainment industry having played in bands for most of his life as well as acting in several plays and films, including a cameo in Colchester director Ronnie Thompson's latest blockbuster, The Hatton Garden Job.

He's also appearing in this play.

Working with Colchester director Sarah Cooper, the pair have assembled a fine cast of local actors and are hoping this show is the start of a new theatrical venture.

Sarah adds: "We're hoping to do something for Tendring. There's so much talent there we want to start putting on cutting edge plays to show off what we have."

Face Down in a Land of Freedom takes place at the Lakeside Theatre Studio on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 30 and 31, at 7.45pm. Tickets are sold out for those performance but there are still some available for the Wednesday matinee, which takes place at 2.30pm. They're priced £5 and are available on-line at lakesidetheatre.org.uk or by calling 01206 873261.