Square Peg Arts help those with additional needs gain performing arts skills in a competitive industry.
Kristin Hawthorne reports
Kristin Hawthorne reports
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00:00A night of music, joy and breaking barriers, this performance is no ordinary show.
00:22In mainstream theatre, accessibility is still a huge challenge. For many of its members,
00:27this is their only chance to express themselves and be celebrated for their talents.
00:33The group is Square Peg Arts, a programme designed to empower young people with disabilities,
00:38giving them opportunities in an accessible environment that is often not available in
00:42mainstream art.
00:44I think Square Peg Arts is really important for the community in that, like I said, a
00:52lot of people do a lot of things with people who have learning disabilities, but sometimes
00:56it can be tokenistic, sometimes it can be just a pat on the head or a kind of, oh we'll
01:02put them in a room with some instruments and let them play kind of thing, which is fine
01:05and that can have value, but I think it's really important to understand that if someone's
01:11autistic, for example, it doesn't mean that they can't do things, it just means that they
01:15might need help to access those things.
01:18Every month, they practice a song with the director, then in their own time can collaborate
01:22with each other and sing songs to perform on stage for the end of year show.
01:26A lot of these people are more than capable of doing incredible things, sometimes more
01:30so because of their neurodivergence, but they just sometimes need that access to be able
01:36to do it.
01:37But it's more than just a stage for many, as some members feel that they would be isolated
01:41without the group, feeling like their talents and passion for music are being wasted.
01:47I do, I do, do, do.
01:50I do, I do, do, do.
01:54It's changed my life for the better, plus I've made new friends, I'm being more social
01:58and get to be part of this good community.
02:01Before I did square poking and singing, I was doing nothing at home really, kind of
02:05wasting away my talents and that's it, really.
02:09It definitely made me more confident, because I remember when I first came here, or when
02:13I first got square poked and singers generally, I was quite shy and quite withdrawn.
02:18I didn't talk to many people, because I only knew a few people.
02:23I just want to thank everyone at square poke for making me who I am, and I'd be very sad
02:27if it stopped going or they had to stop singers, definitely.
02:32Kristen Hawthorne for KMTV in Canterbury.