The Sussex Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus SASBAH) provides lifelong well-being support for over 1,000 children and adults of all ages across Sussex who are affected by these conditions. Young people with these complex physical and learning disabilities are often excluded from mainstream society, including the arts, and suffer disproportionately with poor mental health.
Music and drama have proven highly successful in delivering huge benefits in well-being, enabling people to do things they never imagined they could and opening the door to future performance and building confidence to engage more widely in civic life.
We are immensely pleased that Pixel Fund is supporting a 4-day Drama and Music workshop, to be held in a local school during the October half term break, to give around 25 young adults with complex disabilities the opportunity to learn through fun, in performing arts. Over four days, the young people will work with a professional drama company and musicians to choose and develop a dramatic theme which reflects their interests and/or concerns (in 2021 the theme was ‘the Lockdown Blues’). They will construct a story, create dialogue, drama, choreography, special effects and musical accompaniment. This will culminate in them performing their collaborative piece to an audience of around 100 invited people.