The Colour of Music

Aim

Creating a UV show with Classical Musicians using Makaton, Puppets, Dance, Circus increasing access to Deaf/Blind audiences of all ages.

THE COLOUR OF MUSIC – A partnership between Hummadruz and the Lenny Sayers Ensemble.
We are developing and performing Black-Light theatre alongside professional orchestral musicians playing live. The project is funded by the Arts Council of Wales and we need additional funding to match their grant.

Hummadruz, The Black-Light Theatre of Wales have been performing unique UV spectacle in Theatres, Festivals and clubs for 25 years, alongside a programme of workshops for children and young people who are deaf/blind and who have additional learning needs.

https://www.hummadruz.co.uk/

Lenny Sayers is an accomplished composer and Bass Clarinet player with BBC National Orchestra of Wales whose has written a number of works that have performed by BBC NOW in their Family Concert series. His compositions have been broadcast on BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio Scotland. He is also a tutor and lecturer at the RWCMD.

https://soundcloud.com/lennysayers/sets/complete-nonsense 

We would like to continue developing a new form of performance between Hummadruz, the Black-Light Theatre of Wales and the Lenny Sayers Ensemble of 5 Classical Musicians. This will be an Ultra-Violet performance using dance, circus, spectacle, puppets and illusions to illustrate music performed live by Lenny’s ensemble.
We will be telling stories using no verbal language, instead using music and visual performance & language as our means of communication. The project is based on movements from "Complete Nonsense", an original composition by Lenny Sayers inspired by the nonsense poems of Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll, including "Jabberwocky" and "The Owl and the Pussycat". The pieces will be language free, accessible to all. We are incorporating Makaton as a visual language within the performance. The music will be illustrated like Ballet: a UV performance, musicians playing live and on display, language free.

"Scheherazade" by Hummadruz & Lenny Sayers, R & D, 2017.

Eventually, we want to develop a full-length production that will tour Wales and beyond and will be a favourable production for Theatres to market to Family and Classical audiences, as well as those with Special Needs.

We'll increase young people’s appreciation of classical music through UV spectacle and to Classical music audiences by presenting new Wales-based compositions. The work will showcase the unique musical and theatrical experience that Wales has to offer and will be unique within the UK and Europe.
We worked together on an R&D in 2017 to test out new staging conventions, focussing on “Scheherazade” and Lenny’s version of “Quangle Wangle’s hat”. This was very well received, tested the theories, garnered interest and proved that it works in a wondrous way.

Painting the "Quangle Wangle's Hat" with SENSE Cymru, 2017

Hummadruz has previously only performed to a pre-recorded soundtrack. We are keen to work alongside professional high calibre musicians, creating a wholly live performance.
Due to the high-contrast nature of our aesthetic style, HUMMADRUZ's shows are especially well received by those with sight and hearing loss: we provide an entirely sensory experience. We aim to fulfil a need for accessible live theatre for these groups.

Bespoke performance for SENSE Cymru, 2017. Meeting the puppets!

We will perform the 2 pieces at Llanover Hall in Cardiff on Jan 25th 2020 as a separate event for our peers, professional and critical friends, stakeholders, potential venues and the public.
 We view our performances' accessibility to blind and deaf communities as a long term priority for the company.

TESTIMONIALS:

"These bespoke workshops give our service users the opportunity to participate in the arts in a way that is accessible for them, allowing our young people to experience theatre and performance through light and sound."

SENSE CYMRU

"Absolutely fantastic. The children loved it and so did the staff. Hope they come back again, very clever"

TY GWYN SPECIAL SCHOOL

"That was Tidy, Well Tidy"/ "That was Siiiick"/ "...room full of smiles and wonder!"

TACTILE BOSCH

Money raised will be used to pay for:

Materials such as UV paint, glue, card, fabric etc

Rehearsal time for performers and musicians.

Performance to showcase the work at Ty Gwyn Special School so there is no cost to them.

This project successfully funded on 12th January 2020