TWO UNIQUE performances are set to thrill Oldham audiences as keen actors from local disability charity Pennine Mencap take to the stage.
The charity’s Performing Arts group ‘Stage Right’ includes players with difficulties ranging from Asperger’s to learning disabilities, brought together by their love of drama, improvisation, dance and song.
And now, thanks to a grant from Oldham’s Respect Our Community Awards (ROCA), principally funded by First Choice Housing, they are staging their ‘Stepping Into The Spotlight’ project.
The free performance will be held on Saturday, February 28 from from 6pm to 8pm at the Old Museum Arts Centre on Greaves Street in the centre of Oldham.
Entitled ‘A Showcase Performance In Three Parts’, the show will bring together a short modern ballet, a tribute to the music of Queen and a unique retelling of the Shakespeare classic ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’.
Every part of the show has been entirely devised by the group, under the guidance of director and group leader Claire Louise Jepson BA.
Pennine Mencap chairman Elliot Sparks said: “We hope the event will be a magnet for adults with additional needs who have an interest in performing arts.”
Information will be available during intervals and after the show about how to join the inclusive group, as well as other creative projects run by Pennine Mencap.
And Stage Right has another exciting performance scheduled for June 2when they have been invited to entertain the 100+ members of the Terence O’Grady Club, Oldham’s longest-established club for adults with learning disabilities.
The group has chosen to produce a condensed 30-minute interpretation of The Blues Brothers for the show at the Oldham Parish Hall on Egerton Street.
Elliot added: “The benefits of involvement with the performing arts for our members, especially with regard to self-confidence, skills-building, improving communication and achieving involvement in the community, are clear to see.
“With our performances we hope to demonstrate that adults with additional needs can be at the heart of a professional drama project, without feeling they are being treated like children, while achieving something tangible that can be respected and enjoyed by others.”
For more information on tickets, please contact Pennine Mencap chairman Elliot Sparks on 0161 6271025 (office), 07599 782492 (mobile) or elliot.sparks@penninemencap.org
Stage Right meets every Monday at the Old Museum Arts Centre. Pennine Mencap is based at Broseley House, 81 Union Street, Oldham, OL1 1PF. Visitors welcome by appointment. You can also find and follow Pennine Mencap on Facebook and Twitter.
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