THE Antony Gormley statues on Crosby beach will be the venue for a drama with a difference tomorrow.

‘Statues – Live on the Beach’ is an interactive performance written and acted by the Magic 7 drama group, which is made up of adults with learning disabilities, such as Downs Syndrome who attend day services run by Liverpool City Council.

The morality tale, which is being acted out using the Iron Men as a backdrop, is based around a person who becomes a statue because they are so full of bitterness, jealousy and hate.

The group have been together for three years and are funded by organisations including Merseyside Disability Federation, the Arts Council and Liverpool Culture Company.

They will be holding three performances between noon and 2pm on Crosby beach.

It is just the latest in a series of plays that they have acted out at venues across Liverpool.

Cllr Ron Gould, executive member for healthcare, said: "This is a great project which has captured the imagination of some of the people who attend our day centres.

"They have learnt new skills and become more confident as a result of this tremendously successful initiative.

"This is another of the creative and imaginative schemes which are helping transform the opportunities offered to people who attend day centres in Liverpool.

"We want to offer them activities that they are interested in and which have a real purpose."

The group have also worked in partnership with organisations including LIPA and the Princes Trust.

Drama coach Julian Bond added: "The Magic 7 are a really rewarding group of people to work with, because they are totally disciplined and perform with really strong emotion.

"You can see that acting gives them real pleasure and pride and they get a real sense of satisfaction out of it, and it boosts their self esteem massively."