Roll Up!

It's hard to describe the joy, pride and sheer panache with which the children delivered individual lines and sang the choruses. The Mahogany musicians, dressed in crazy collage clothing and the children in their own handmade costumes processed around the space and enthusiastically engaged with the rhythms of the music and movement that conjured the performance to come….At the end of this Act a child, who had been particularly energetic, remained in the performance space lying on a bench and did not want to move. His Mum/carer came out of the audience and picked him up. The way he fell limply into her arms and the tenderness with which he was received was worthy of any modern dance choreography and moved me to tears.
Audience member

I think it's amazing that we (you) had the vision to bring this into Sandgate, in that it reflects - in fact it is the epitome of - the rightly high ambitions we set for our students. The brilliant and inspiring execution of this opera is proof that with the right level of belief in them, planning and support, they can do amazing things.
Teacher, Sandgate School

It was entirely child-led and highlighted the strengths of our pupils. Our pupils got the opportunity to experience and be part of something they wouldn't usually experience. The staff involved with the project were amazing and built fantastic connections with the pupils.
Teacher, Sandgate School

As a parent, it’s absolutely lovely to see your child performing, it’s a rite of passage for children to get up on stage in front of family and friends and put on a show. But the format of what you would normally see in a school play doesn’t necessarily work for a lot of Sandgate Children. The structure is too formal and rigid for them, learning lines, and knowing where they need to be on a stage is not easy for them. I think the Opera was a stroke of genius, it worked brilliantly. The children loved it, and so did the (other) parents.
Parent, Sandgate School