Sing Me To The Sea: Journey for children that celebrates sensory dialogue
Working in tandem with the Civic, the Network for Extraordinary Audiences, Enable Ireland, and funded by the Arts Council of Ireland, Anna Newell Theatre Adventures proudly presents ‘Sing Me to the Sea’, an interactive performance that takes place in hydrotherapy pools, reports Steven Reid.
‘Sing Me to the Sea’ is both a piece of art and a piece of advocacy for the right of all children and young people to experience the arts in a way that connects, engages and delights; and, for this very particular audience, artwork that embraces and celebrates the sensory dialogue that they will experience in this unique magical journey of water and sound.
Three performers will “take the audience on a magical journey of exquisite harmony singing and gentle water play designed especially for children with complex needs, embracing and celebrating the sensory dialogue they have with the world around them.”
The show is especially unique in that everyone involved from the actors, the children or young individuals, and their adult companions will all be physically in the water for the duration of the performance.
A Physiotherapist from St. Catherine’s School in Wicklow said: “[Sing Me to the Sea] is a The Echo, Thursday, July 13, 2023 life@echo.ie 47 unique production which engages individuals with even the most profound level of disability in an enriching musical and artistic experience.”
They continued to explain that while many individuals may not have physical shortcomings that prevent them from partaking in more conventional experiences, those activities are not structured with their different needs in mind, which separates ‘Sing Me to the Sea’ as a particularly “meaningful” and “beautiful” experience for those who it is intended for.
Anna Newell’s work has visited six different continents and she continues to be a leading Irish theatre maker for extraordinary audiences.
She works closely with some of the most esteemed figures in the industry such as Muireann D’Arcy who has been involved with nearly all her shows, David Goodall who has worked with her since 1990, and Susan Scott who has created looks for the likes of Daniel Day Lewis, Meryl Streep, and countless others.
‘Sing Me to the Sea’ will venture over to the Civic in Tallaght on July 17-21, and will take place each day at 10am, 11am, and 12pm at an off-site location.
Tickets for the shows can be found at the civic theatre website HERE.
