Last night I was at O2 Arena for the launch of Voices for a Better World, a project to raise funds for dedicated children’s charities Global Angels and Arts by Children - two international organisations which work at a grass-roots level to support the needs of children around the world. The architecturally unlovely, noisy, crowd-pulling Disney-esque dome - with its weird ideas about courtesy (or lack of it) to the press, inadequate lavatories and inconvenient access is not exactly my favourite venue but all my frustrations and grumbles were stopped short by the scale and power of the event itself once it started.
Kevin Dowsett, founder of Theatretrain — the very successful chain of franchised part-time stage schools for children — devised and directed the pretty spectacular show, The Long and Winding Road, which is based on the Beatles story and featured 34 Beatles tracks, including Ticket to Ride, A Hard Day’s Night and Can’t Buy Me Love. The massed chorus sang, conducted by the larger-than-life Robert Hyman with live orchestra, and there were solo numbers by youngsters who had auditioned and some short contributions by professionals such as Bill Bailey, Kevin Eldon, Cheryl Fergison, Elaine Glover, Tony Hirst and Nemsis.
But this was not a Theatretrain production. This time the main body of performers was 4,700 school children, aged 9-14, from primary, secondary, special and specialist schools in London and the south east. So it was quite a training experience for very large numbers and highly inclusive.
The schools first came together in January to commit themselves to this project. Each child was given a CD to learn the songs from and a show T-shirt. Teachers were given the music and other CDs to help their teaching. They also received a DVD which detailed movement - gestures and so on - required by the choir.
Schools were also invited to research the Beatles and to be imaginative. ‘We always wanted it to be more than a singing event’ says Dowsett. ‘So we did everything we could to shake that up. We invented moves for the songs and props to use during the show. Anything that would deepen the experience and make it fun but also add a new atmosphere to give out to the audience’.
The 4.200 children practised at home and then with their schools and finally on larger Voices for a Better World Rehearsals. The 500 young Dancers and actors who appeared on the floor area at the front of the arena and acted/danced some of the events in the Beatles’ lives had less rehearsal time and it wasn’t, inevitably, until the day of the concert that everyone finally got together.
I was delighted and deeply moved to see children in wheelchairs and others with special needs - who had to be led made up and garlanded - taking part in the dance routines, their chairs and positions skilfully choreographed so that they became part of what was going on and certainly not an afterthought. And they were evidently enjoying taking part as much as anyone else. Yes, The Long and Winding Road really was inclusive.
The hall (can I call it that?) was almost full so I’m pretty sure that the event will have succeeded in its primary aim: to raise substantial funds and awareness for Voices for a Better World.
It certainly succeeded in its second aim which was to provide children and young adults with a great (in every sense) stage to channel their creative energy. After all, providing such opportunities for children is more important now than it has ever been. Research has shown that music directly enhances learning and spatial development, with beneficial effects on other subjects like Maths and English. And it will have shown thousands of youngsters that they can have a good time, learn and help others at the same time - quite a lesson.
Dowsett certainly thinks so. ‘Today’s news continually covers the sad and drastic state that our world is in from third world poverty, environmental issues to crime on the streets of Britain. Voices for a Better World is a stunning showcase, which aims to give children an outlet and a chance to express themselves. Thousands of young children singing in one voice - what better and powerful way is there to communicate the need for change?’
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