Centuries of history, input from hundreds of contributors, and dozens of live performers come together under a Big Top as East Renfrewshire celebrates both the New Millennium and the ongoing spirit of its communities.

The Play in the Park is the combination of an eight-month project which encouraged people of all ages to join in the process of creation: poetry, art work, music, dancing, research, and personal anecdote were among the avenues explored under the artistic direction of Freda O'Byrne.

The result is certainly epic in concept - 2,000 years of (local) mankind set alongside the domestic saga of a present-day family whose elderly matriarch's confusion over who she is, is the starting point for a scan of history ancient and modern. With less than a minute per century, the piece deals in broad sweeps - the Roman occupation is amusingly disposed of in a few disconsolate letters home - but the real aim seems to lie in reminding us of the shared and timeless cycles of life that go on at grass-roots level, whether families are in the Iron Age, the Industrial Revolution, or the Second World War.

To be honest, it's not always easy to follow the thread or keep the pace with changing times. But the ensemble dancers deploy their large numbers effectively, the music is lively - with a predominantly electro-Celtic feel - and the set design, with its raised walkway bridging two sets of stairs, is striking and versatile.

And the intent air, the whole-hearted involvement, that young and old bring to their performances is witness enough to the true values of this community endeavour.

One wishes them well for their upcoming ''spot'' at the Dome.