Down Our Street, the musical play by Wirral writer Brian McCann celebrating the life and times of Cammell Laird from the industrial revolution to the present day, makes its way back to Liverpool this coming April and now it finds a new home at the Royal Court Theatre.
For well over a century and a half, ‘The Yard’ was the employer of thousands upon thousands of people from the Wirral, across the water in Liverpool and beyond. The town of Birkenhead was built around the shipbuilding industry and most families, if not all had some connection to Cammell Laird.
Through drama, comedy and song, Down Our Street celebrates this through the eyes of the people of Merseyside and the workers ‘down the yard’.
Brian explains what inspired the setting of the play: “Merseyside has so much to be proud of, our heritage and our culture. In many ways we led the way on the international stage in music, the arts and industry. In every corner, on every street there are great stories reflecting our past and celebrating our present. There is one story that stands out above the rest. You only have to look down the banks of the river Mersey to see the iconic buildings of what was one of the greatest shipbuilders in the world, Cammell Laird, the birthplace of some of the most famous ships including The Ark Royal, H.M.S. Trident and the Alabama.”
After three sell out runs in Birkenhead in 2003 and 2004, and in 2011 at The Unity Theatre, Liverpool, this year sees a brand new production of Down Our Street at Liverpool’s Royal Court Theatre, home of many local theatrical successes such as Brick Up The Mersey Tunnel and Nightmare on Lime Street. The Royal Court is the perfect venue for a play celebrating one of Merseyside’s finest achievements.
With a new score and an exciting cast to be announced, Down Our Street promises to be one of Merseyside’s theatrical highlights in 2013!
Down Our Street is on at the Royal Court Theatre from the 12th until 27th April. Tickets are available from the Royal Court Box office, online at www.royalcourtliverpool.com or by telephone on 0870 7871866.
Ian D. Hall