And the Doves Cry

Short films at the Playhouse Theatre
24th January 2006

Reviewed by Helen Grey

The Playhouse Theatre played host to writers and residents of Liverpool on Tuesday when they were invited to a private screening of five short films.

The films were written by and starred people of the Dovecot area of the city and marked the culmination of the Dovetales project.

The project - headed by Everyman and Playhouse writer in residence Tony Green - gave the inhabitants of Dovecot the chance to develop their writing skills and unearth their hidden passion for the arts.

Dovetales - which was funded by Five and the Arts Council England - encouraged the writers to discuss and document issues that were important to them and their community.

Emphasis was placed on the participants finding their own voice through the writing; the films dealt with issues such as self-exploration, debt and domestic abuse.

The audience showed their appreciation with heart-felt applause after the screening, which was then followed by a presentation to the five writers and a speech by Tony Green.

Mr Green spoke of the richness of talent within the city and his hope that the Dovetales project was just the start of the people of Liverpool exploring themselves through writing.

He also spoke of his difficulty in choosing just five scripts to be recorded by Hurricane Films and continued to praise the community spirit of those whose work was not chosen.

The partnership between Five and the Arts Council is collectively known as Fivearts cities and is dedicated to spotlighting the arts in the great cities of England and enabling people to develop their own creativity.

Stephen Roberts, project manager of Fivearts cities, said: “Five and Arts Council England are delighted with the way Liverpool has responded to Fivearts cities and we are thoroughly enjoying working with the people and arts venues of the city on such a pathfinding project.”

Fivearts cities has also published ‘The Treasures of Liverpool’ book which is a full colour guidebook to the cultural treasures of Liverpool today, from the contemporary art scene to architectural highlights.