24Seven - Arts: The story of Laird's.

Byline: with Joe Riley

THE story of the Cammell Laird shipyard has been chequered with colour and drama down the years.

The atmosphere of the yard has always been ripe for artistic exploitation.

And now Laird's has been made the focus of a new community musical, written by local man Brian McCann with students from Wirral Met.

Down Our Street tells the story of the shipyard and looks at the lives of Birkenhead people as a whole, using many well-known characters from the history of the town. Set in one street, the performance recounts the day to day struggles and successes of some of the individual residents and puts across how devastating and wide-reaching the effects of unemployment can be.

Using fast-moving action and character changes, along with song and dance, the show takes the audience from the 1850s through to the present day, touching on human stories which will strike many chords.

Down Our Street involves 40 students and musicians and has been created in association with Birkenhead's Active Drama company, as part of the BTEC Performing Arts course. It can be seen on June 24, 25 and 26 at the Wirral Museum, Hamilton Square.

More details from Greg Williams on 0151-551 7583 or email [e-mail]