Kindness Short - Theatre Cares

Theatre Cares is supported by Alison Copley and the Norfolk Community Foundation through Sheila Ann Day Fund.

To celebrate Creative Matters: Kindness through Creativity, Norwich Theatre has released a series of short videos from its Take Part groups, including Theatre Cares – A Life in Music, Boys Movement Company, and Freedom of Movement. 

Using creative mediums such as songwriting, singing, dancing, and physical theatre, each group created its own performance piece inspired by the theme of kindness and its own interpretation of what kindness means.  

The season is exploring how creativity and the arts can inspire change, tell unheard stories, build compassion and create a fairer and kinder society. The Kindness through Creativity season has so far featured a series of shows, take-part activities, film screenings and half term take part workshops.  

Later in the year, Norwich Theatre Royal will host Come From Away (15 – 26 Oct), a show about the incredible real-life story of the 7,000 air passengers who were grounded during the wake of 9/11 and the small Newfoundland community that invited these ‘come from aways’ into their lives.  

Sam Beal Creative Engagement Project Manager at Norwich Theatre, said: “The Kindness Shorts are a showcase of creativity, expression and friendship. They were an opportunity for our creative engagement groups to explore this year’s Creative Matters theme, and I hope people find them to be an inspiration.” 

The Theatre Cares – A Life in Music, a group for those with moderate to mild dementia and their carers, explored the theme with a song they had written. The Boy’s Movement created a piece of choreography called Journeys, exploring the theme and coming together as a group. The Freedom of Movement used physical theatre and movement to create a piece performed outside the front of Norwich Theatre Royal. 

Duncan, the Practitioner of Theatre Cares – A Life in Music, said: “We thought about what it means to be kind and different acts of kindness and what those mean to us.” 

Lucas, a member of the Boys Movement Company, said: “The thing I have enjoyed most is making choreography for the dance. It felt really nice to be in a boys dance group.” 

Sophie Utting, the Freedom of Movement Dance Practitioner, said: It was really interesting working with the theme of kindness because as soon as we started the work. I realised just how much kindness is embedded within this kind of work already.”