Related News
Putting special needs kids center stage
Print Edition
As schools reopened this month, kids with cerebral palsy and Down syndrome at some special education schools got a great gift 鈥 the debut of the Chinese version of 鈥淒own to Earth,鈥 a play created by the UK鈥檚 Bamboozle Theater.
Unlike regular dramas watched by a large audience in seats far from the stage, this one plays to a maximum of six children at a time, accompanied by their teachers or parents, while the four actors interact closely with them and frequently even invite them to participate in the performance.
It is one of the three immersive and interactive multi-sensory dramas brought from the UK to China by the Shanghai Children鈥檚 Art Theater to make theater arts accessible and enjoyable for children aged from 6 to 14 with autism and complex disabilities and was the first to be localized in Chinese.
The Chinese version of 鈥淒own to Earth鈥 made its debut in earlier September at the Dongli Fengmei Rehabilitation School in Xuhui District and was performed 12 times there over three days. Some mentally disabled children who study at regular schools were also invited to enjoy it.
Shanghai Daily watched one performance on one Wednesday afternoon with six students from Longnan Primary School.
The drama revolves around a simple story about a young man and two 鈥淟and Girls鈥 working on a farm during the World War II, while another performer plays the music throughout.
Before the performance, the actors stepped up to their little audience, introducing themselves, asking the kids鈥 names and inviting them to touch, smell and even taste herbs and vegetables growing in the 鈥渇arm.鈥
The stage was not a traditional stage. It was in a multi-functional hall of the school and the seats for kids were on the stage.
During the performance, the actors weaved the children鈥檚 names into their songs, invited them to repeat their performances one by one, such as sweeping the floor, and played with them with props such as fake bees, snakes and firefly lamps.
鈥淚 am really touched to see our kids are so immersed in the performance and interact so well with strangers,鈥 said Xiang Min, one of the two teachers who accompanied the children.
Xiang said the children were usually shy and not good at participating in such events.
鈥淭hese children are slow in understanding and learning and have short attention spans, so ordinary performances are too fast-paced for them to follow,鈥 he said. 鈥淪chools and parents actually can find few performances suitable for them.
鈥淏ut this one is tailored for them with a slow pace and close interaction with each child. It can really inspire students in all sensory functions and encourage them to integrate into the performance. It also inspires us, the teachers, to improve our teaching in the future.鈥
Ye Zhaohui, principal of the host school, said the special drama was great as it addressed the need for artistic enjoyment for a minority group of children.
鈥淚 totally agree with Bamboozle鈥檚 ideas 鈥 not to judge children but to fully accept them as who they are, and to respect the rights of children with special needs to leisure and entertainment, like all other young people,鈥 said Ye.
UK actor Ben Moores,who tutored the Chinese actors, told Shanghai Daily that the drama was made for children with special needs to give them a full theater experience and also some experiences they miss in life, such as fear, in a safe environment.
He said the drama had fearful moments and the actors would help children overcome the fear.
Under the 鈥淲ish of Starfish鈥 program initiated by the China Welfare Institute, Bamboozle has visited Shanghai twice since April last year to perform the English versions of 鈥淒own to Earth,鈥 鈥淭he Gentle Giant,鈥 another immersive drama created for kids with cerebral palsy and Down syndrome, and 鈥淪torm,鈥 created for children with autism, and to inspire local artists and educators.
The Shanghai Children鈥檚 Art Theater launched another program in November last year to localize the dramas to make them more friendly and understandable for local children and also to reduce costs and benefit more children in the long run.
Christopher Davies, founder and artistic director of Bamboozle, selected eight local actors from about 100 applicants, including professional actors and teachers of special education, and trained them over about 10 weeks to teach them skills including communicating with the kids and adjusting their performance based on the children鈥檚 reactions.
鈥淭he foreign artistic directors told us that the performance skills are not the most important thing, but the love for children with special needs is,鈥 said a Chinese actor. 鈥淲e have to build relationship with the children with love during the performance.鈥
Liang Xiaoxia, general manager of Shanghai Children鈥檚 Art Theater, said the drama was not only a stage show, but also a kind of educational concept. She hopes the performance and ideas of Bamboozle can encourage people to treat children with special needs fairly and to care for them.
The Shanghai theater plans to perform the Chinese version 22 times in three special education schools.
For the next step, the theater will make the Chinese version of 鈥淪torm.鈥
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
