Writers Inc Productions are back with another fantastic night of theatre, this time the night is called 'Love Is Strange'. The night consists of four short plays by each individual writer. At The Creative Wire, we get a closer look at each play separately in this four-part special plug-in for Love is Strange. Next up is These Dark Hearts, written by Steve Bird and directed by Elaine Louise Stewart. We got the inside scoop on "These Dark Hearts".

Writer and fellow member of Writers Inc Productions, Steve Bird, has been writing for five years now and in that time has had a number of successful plays showcased in front of a sold-out audience. His short and full plays now number a total of 22 and 31 productions, all of which have been performed at theaters in Liverpool, Chester, and the Wirral.

These Dark Hearts

Most of Steve’s productions have received many awards for him personally, and also for the numerous actors, directors, and technical support who have worked with him. With that said, this night will be no different with a stellar lineup of writers showcasing each of their talents individually.

'Love Is Strange' will be shown over two nights in April on the 19th and 20th at the Hope Street Theatre.

Four short plays including Steve’s play These Dark Hearts (A Fairytale From A Stranger).

In "These Dark Hearts," Maddie (played by Bethany George) is caught up in a rocky relationship with her fiancé, Joe (James Lawrence). When they first meet Joe's parents, Pamela Ashton and Alan Kenny, everything seems fine. But as Maddie starts reflecting on her childhood loneliness, things take a turn for the worse.

As Steve explains to us, "These Dark Hearts" forms part of a longer play that I had under development at the time for another project. But I believed the first part of it had its own standalone storyline that would suit our ‘Love is Strange’ production”.

Recognising its potential as a standalone narrative suitable for the "Love is Strange" production, Steve appends the subtitle "A Fairytale from a Stranger" to distinguish it. Anticipation brews for the completion of part 2 in the near future.

Steve added, about the story of "These Dark Nights":

"It is a double-edged love story: Firstly, we see the true love between Maddie and Joseph, and the second from Maddie as she reflects on a love story from a friend from the past."

We also had the opportunity to speak with the talented director of this production, Elaine Stewart, who is no stranger to directing powerful pieces within the theater scene.

"I'm really excited to be working with Writers Inc on their new show 'Love is Strange'. I am directing 'These Dark Hearts' by Steve Bird, one of four fantastic short plays. This will be my fifth collaboration with Steve and I have worked with 2 of the cast - Bethany George and James Lawrence before.

It is my first time working with Pam Ashton and Alan Kenny, and I am enjoying working with them all so much. We are into our 3rd week of rehearsals now and everyone is working really hard. The play is quite dark with flashes of humor and my approach is to get the actors to think about their characters' motivations and what drives them. My job is to guide them in the right direction. I am loving working on this play and I can promise our audience a great night of theatre."

Steve has exciting plans for further plays this year. He'll be collaborating with the Valley Community Theatre on a piece addressing the topic of 'Homelessness: A Lifestyle Choice?' Additionally, he's teaming up with fellow writer Paul Daley on a comedy titled 'By The Banks Of The Royal Blue Mersey,' focusing on Everton's final years at Goodison Park. This production is set to hit the stage in November at the Hope Street Theatre. Furthermore, Steve is diligently working on another comedy with hopes of showcasing it at the Liverpool Fringe in October.

'Love Is Strange' will be shown over two nights in April on the 19th and 20th at the Hope Street Theatre. Four short plays including Steve’s play ‘These Dark Hearts’ (A Fairytale From A Stranger).

Covered by, Amy Brennan