Kent Theatre Group highlights difficulty for neurodivergent performers

Square Peg Arts help those with additional needs gain performing arts skills in a competitive industry.   Kristin Hawthorne reports

Transcript

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02:13I first got square poked and singers generally, I was quite shy and quite withdrawn.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.