Government News
Curtain rises for children with special needs 2024-11-18
Families whose children have special needs may find it difficult or feel embarrassed to take them to the theater.
But the ROEWE Shanghai Children's Art Theater (SHCAT) has been trying to enrich the supply of performances and build up a more inclusive environment for them as the city makes efforts to become more child-friendly for all.
One of its latest attempts was to stage "Firebird," a new production by the UK-based Bamboozle Theatre Company. It ran for six performances at the Shanghai theater, entertaining more than 700 local theater goers, including nearly 60 families with children suffering from conditions, such as autism, learning difficulties and developmental delays.
The performances are part of SHCAT's seven-year-old welfare project "Wish of Starfish," which is dedicated in developing theater works for children with special needs.
It has introduced immersive plays such as "Storm," "Down to Earth" and "The Gentle Giant" by Bamboozle and adapted them into Chinese versions.
So far it has staged more than 400 performances exclusively for special needs children, benefiting 5,000-plus families. It was honored by the Shanghai government last year as one of the innovative practices for the development of a child-friendly city.
This year, it took a step further and officially launched the "Starfish Day" program, offering seats for special needs children at selected regular performances as well as supporting facilities and volunteer services.
"Firebird," combines drama, music, puppetry, and interactive elements, ensuring that every child can fully engage with the artistic experience.
During the performance, the actors interacted with all the children sitting on cushions while parents behind on chairs.
"It's the second time for my son to come to the theater, last time, he watched 'Storm'," said a father, surnamed Zhang, whose 10-year-old boy has developmental retardation.
"He enjoyed today's show and interacted with the actors all the time. It's not easy for him, you know, when watching movies, he usually falls asleep in the middle."
Christopher Davies, co-founder and artistic director of Bamboozle, added: "The response seems to be really good. The children were very animated, and they were also very quiet in the moments of calm or pathos. People are enjoying it.
"In the UK and I think here as well young people with special needs often go to a special school. So the general public, like neurotypical children, sometimes don't come across someone with learning disabilities. If they went out to the theater with them, then maybe there would be more understanding."
"It's good to see all the children concentrated on the show and was happy with it," said Li, another father whose son is 9-year-old.
"I also appreciated the theater for giving me an opportunity to accompanying my son in the process, because I'm usually busy with my work and spend very little time with him."
Proceeds from the performances will be used to support the "Wish of Starfish" project to better serve children with special needs through the arts.
During their stay in Shanghai, staff from the UK theater also helped train more local actors to stage more shows for children not only in Shanghai, but also in the Yangtze River Delta region and even nationwide.
Source: Shanghai Daily
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