What do we go to the theatre for? Entertainment, enlightenment and ecstasy. The first two are in abundant supply in this fascinating project: a play by Robin Soans based on his own research, and that of third-year Lamda drama students, into life in modern Burnley. Directed by Max Stafford-Clark and Janet Steel, the result has the bracing vigour of drama based, like Black Watch, on close factual observation.
Soans has devised a quasi-Pirandellian framework. We are invited to watch a Burnley youth group putting on a show about mixed relationships. As the cast assembles for a dress rehearsal, they give us a composite picture of Burnley since the 2001 riots: a place of economic hardship, of boredom and low self-esteem among the young, of sporadic violence. But when the planned show is aborted after a cast member walks out, the company stages a public Q&A session that highlights the divisions between those addressing Burnley's problems and those seeking to improve its public image.
At times, the format is over-complex. But Soans offers a lot of raw information. He shows us that mixed-race relationships can triumph over parental obstacles. At the same time, he offers an horrific portrait of a practice known as "grooming", in which young white girls are exploited by elderly Asian men. Ultimately, the play's message is that the way forward for troubled towns like Burnley lies in cultural projects, not government quick-fixes. It all makes for a rich theatrical collage in which Judith Amsenga as a Christian do-gooder, Kathryn O'Reilly as the harassed director, and Tyrone Lopez and Donnla Hughes as a pair of besotted social workers luminously shine.
· Until July 15. Box office: 0844 847 0550.
