Thrilled audience members were taken on a tour through The Magical World of Unity as Norwood staged a unique performing arts project at artsdepot in North Finchley on Thursday, 27 August. The one-off show is a first for Unity, which is Norwood’s recreational service for children and young people with disabilities.
Rehearsals started in June, and since then a cast of 17 children and young people, and 27 members of staff, have spent around 50 hours perfecting their performances. A committed team of children and young people from Unity also worked hard to create the beautiful props used in the production.
Based on an original script and directed by Hannah Grant, The Magical World of Unity was crammed full with music, singing and dancing. It featured the hit musical songs Lets Go Fly a Kite, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Consider Yourself, with scores composed by Michael Hyman, who worked for Unity.
During the play, a group of children and young people were invited to discover some of the wonderful activities on offer at Unity, including a kite-making workshop, a trip to the zoo and a cake-baking session.
The talented cast included Max Lewis, who has been a member of Unity for six months. The 16-year-old is a budding actor and has had several TV and film roles, including a lead part in the movie Notes on a Scandal. “The show was fantastic and it was great to get ready for it,” he said. “I like dancing and acting." Meanwhile, staff member Jodie Beth Meyer, who sang in the show, has just finished taking part in a UK tour of High School Musical.
Through Unity, Norwood provides weekly clubs, holiday play schemes and a residential summer holiday to more than 100 children and young people in London each year.
Sonia Muscovitch, Norwood Development Manager, said: “Everyone involved in this production has put in a lot of hard work over the last few months, and the result was stunning.
“Performing arts are an important way for children and young people with disabilities to express themselves, and we’ve loved being able to give our members the chance to sing, dance and act, or simply get creative behind the scenes. We hope this project will be the first of many.”
Norwood would like to thank artsdepot and Elle Events for helping to make the production possible.
