Scarborough’s Keane Liley Wins Double at Fringe Festival for Powerful New Play

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Inspiration • August 8th, 2025

A rising Scarborough talent has taken centre stage at this year’s Scarborough Fringe, winning two major awards for his raw and resonant original play, Feral.

Keane Liley, a member of the Stephen Joseph Theatre’s (SJT) Young Company, was honoured with Best Theatre and the Chris Mellor Award for New Writing in Theatre at the 2025 festival. His new play Feral is a direct sequel to Battleground, his debut piece created in collaboration with SJT’s Head of Creative Engagement Rob Salmon and writer Josh Overton.

Both Battleground and Feral were developed as part of the SJT’s Arts in Eastfield programme, supported by McCain UK. The initiative aims to give young people in Scarborough a creative platform to tell their stories through theatre, empowering voices that are too often unheard.

Keane’s work offers a gritty and unfiltered look into life growing up in his local community. Feral is based on his personal experiences and has resonated deeply with audiences — particularly young people — in Scarborough and beyond.

His award-winning success is part of a wider recognition of the impact of the Arts in Eastfield programme. Speaking about the wider vision, Rob Salmon said Keane’s work “refuses to soften the reality of what it’s like growing up in his community” and praised the play for creating a space for authentic, working-class voices.

Looking ahead, the SJT has confirmed that Keane will complete his trilogy in 2026 with Besieged — a third piece that aims to challenge the narratives often imposed on young people from working-class backgrounds.

Festival director Julian Caddy also praised Keane’s talent, saying:

“His story reflects those of so many in the communities around Scarborough – but though it is very local, there are themes and issues that resonate universally.”

Alongside Keane’s double win, the Stephen Joseph Theatre was also recognised with the Best Dance Performance award for Dance Together — a vibrant celebration of local dance talent. The piece featured performances from Hatton School of Performing Arts, Kellet's Performing Arts, The Benson's Stage Academy, The Brave Project, Yorkshire Coast School of Ballet, and Kevin O'Connor's School of Irish Dancing.

Part of the wider Scarborough Fair initiative, this year’s Fringe programme brought together theatre, comedy, music, dance, and spoken word, offering a platform for diverse creative voices across the town.