Gamelab has devised a musical theatre piece featuring young people with special educational needs for a new BBC Learning TV programme Make a Musical. The Gamelab team worked with a cast of more than 20 young people – the majority of whom have special educational needs – to create a 45 minute musical theatre feature I Know Me.
Make a Musical is aimed at encouraging schools and colleges to undertake the performance as featured in the programme which also carries workshop footage for use by schools during production development.
Gamelab’s Martin Wright, the producer of I Know Me, said: “This feature has been tailor made for children with special educational needs. The music is great and really easy to sing-along to. We hope that schools with similar pupils to the cast will use this resource instead of reduced versions of traditional musicals, like Oliver.”
“The process of putting this project together has been very fulfilling and empowering for the cast, producers and most importantly we hope the audience.”
“I was particularly moved by one young man in the cast, who is severely autistic. He is normally very shy and doesn’t say too much. But as soon as the singing began he would completely transform.”
The original music for I Know Me has been composed, arranged and directed by Youth Music Theatre UK (YMT) composer Rebecca Applin and was devised with drama director Owen Smith working with pupils from: Abbey Hill School and Performance Arts College, Stoke on Trent; Haringey Sixth Form Centre, London; College Park School, London
The programme will be transmitted on BBC2 on the morning of June 21stat 4 am.
The programme will then be added to the online Learning Zone Broadband Class Clips database where they can be viewed on demand – bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips.
