AT a time of religious unrest throughout the world, representatives from Bolton's different communities came together to perform in one voice on Saturday night.

Members of Bolton Multi-Cultural Arts staged a play which although written 2,000 years ago, still held a relevance for today's audiences.

Plautus' comedy, The Pot of Gold, was staged by residents as part of an attempt to forge strong multi-cultural relationships throughout the town.

The group was building on the success of last year's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

The Pot of Gold, had originally been planned to be staged as part of the Bolton Festival, but was delayed. However, it successfully took place at the Albert Halls at the weekend.

The Pot of Gold is described as a moral tale about human greed and its effect on relationships.

The aim was to allow those taking part to develop new skills in drama, mime, music, Hindi film dance, visual art and costume making.

As a result of last year's production, four people went on to access course in arts, with three gaining jobs afterwards. Residents in Derby, Deane, Daubhill, Breightmet, Tonge Fold and Tonge Moor were recruited to become involved in the project, which was a blend of all cultures.

Michael Carroll produced and directed the production. He said: "Those taking part ranged in age from 10 years to over-40s. Although the play is a 2,000-year-old Roman comedy, we still managed to incorporate a Hindi film dance into it.

"The production was aimed at mirroring the ethos of theatre. It involved co operation and shared experiences, as well as learning from one another. The process was very worthwhile, particularly when you could see the diversity of the cast reflected 10-fold in members of the audience.

"There was at least 100 people in the audience, and we are now hoping to put on a play next year."

The production comes after the group was awarded £5,000 from the Millennium Awards for All Scheme. It also received a further £1,500 from Bolton Council's Voluntary Sector Grants Scheme.

Anyone interested in joining the group should contact Michael on 334090. MULTI-CULTURAL: Mohammed Quraishi plays Euclio (centre) surrounded by cast members Ref: j