THE new Drum season of professional theatre starts off in an explosive manner with Dennis Kelly's play DNA, writes Bill Stone.

It was originally commissioned for the 2008 National connections portfolio, the project that gives young performers the opportunity to take part in a national festival of youth theatre with a whole tranche of new plays specially written for the occasion.

Some 200 schools, colleges and youth groups take part each year.

Our own Young Company is among the regular participants, and the Drum annually showcases some of the most interesting work the Westcountry groups can offer.

This year that will take place during the first week of May.

Dennis Kelly is an internationally feted writer whose work has been translated into 35 languages around the world. His latest script is Matilda The Musical, his adaptation of Roald Dahl's story, which opened at the RSC and is currently enjoying a West End run. DNA has recently become a core set-text on the GCSE English syllabus, studied by 400,000 students each year.

The plot, which may put you in mind of William Golding's iconic Lord of the Flies, is a strong one indeed, one that is regrettably too familiar today – that of brutal adolescent bullying. It features a group of teenagers, senior students with bright prospects (one plans to be a dentist) rather than the more frequently met with dysfunctional losers, who hound a schoolboy to his almost certain death in a fall down a well.

Ice cold group leader Sam masterminds a plan to cover up their crime by manipulating the DNA evidence that would convict them. But their customary harmony starts to unravel with unforeseen consequences for the group and also others around them as relationships break down and innocent people suffer. There is also an unexpected twist.

This new touring production is by the celebrated Hull Truck Theatre company, though it is actually being premiered in the Drum. The director is Anthony Banks, who is an Associate Director at the National Theatre. The cast of young players is headed by James Alexandrou, who played Martin Fowler for 10 years in EastEnders. It also boasts a cutting-edge design and soundtrack. DNA runs at the Drum Theatre next week from Wednesday to Saturday.