8 - Mayor of Dudley gives civic seal of approval to young people’s show

 

The Leaps and Bounds project is planning the Wrosne performance in the world-famous caves under Wren’s Nest.

 

Around 40 young people performed a trial-run of the show which features music, dance and drama, to more than 250 people at Brierley Hill Civic Hall on Sunday (FEB3).

 

The Mayor of Dudley presented certificates to the group to mark the completed practice phase and reward their hard efforts in preparing for the show.

 

 

“This was a fantastic event and the young people should be very proud of themselves. Many of them have never performed before in front of an audience.

 

“I’m really looking forward to the final production in the caverns later this year.”

 

The Wrosne project will see the performance moved to the caverns underneath Wren’s Nest, by the young people from the Priory and Wren’s Nest estates. The performance is supported by Dudley Council and the Arts Council England.

 

The audience will be brought in on canal boats to watch the performances. There will be 10 shows, catering for an audience of 100 people each time.

 

There will be two performances each evening for one week in July, featuring music, drama, singing, dance, special effects and storytelling. Masks representing the fossils found in the caves will be worn by the performers, which are being produced from the Glasshouse College in Stourbridge.

 

The Leaps and Bounds project was set up following the success of Ballet Hoo! project which saw young people from disadvantaged backgrounds learning ballet on national television.

 

The Channel Four show documented the rise of the young people as they performed Romeo and Juliet with the Birmingham Royal Ballet at the Hippodrome in Birmingham.