Sing me to the Sea by Anna Newell

In 2018, along with award-winning composer David Goodall,  Anna Newell created SING ME TO THE SEA – a watery theatre adventure for children with complex needs that is performed in hydropools with both the audience and the performers all in the water! Immersive and multi-sensory, the performance aims to both soothe and stimulate, exploring a range of aural, visual, tactile and kinaesthetic experiences. Much more than an interactive play session, the 20 minutes of the show is a magical journey of water and sound.

SING ME TO THE SEA is both a piece of art and a piece of advocacy for the right of all children and young people to experience the arts in a way that connects, engages and delights; and, for this very particular audience, artwork that embraces and celebrates the sensory dialogue that they have with the world around them.

The creation of SING ME TO THE SEA in 2018 was funded by Wicklow County Arts Office (with design funded by Riverbank Arts Centre) and was developed in creative consultation with children, parents and staff at Enable Ireland (mid Kildare Network Disability Team) and St Catherine’s School, Newcastle, Co Wicklow. For 2019, Anna Newell has secured funding from Arts Council Ireland to present the work further, in partnership with Riverbank Arts Centre, Draoícht Arts Centre (Blanchardstown), the Civic Theatre (Tallaght), the Mermaid Arts Centre (Bray), and Enable Ireland. It will also be presented at Carlow Arts Festival.

For a short extract of SING ME TO THE SEA , please see this YouTube link

‘The work that Anna Newell creates for young audiences, particularly for children with complex needs, is a joy to experience. We at Riverbank Arts Centre are very proud to see this project come to life, having been involved, in a small way, with the early development of this project. This show, which takes place in a pool, is a great example of how artists, venues and other stakeholders can collaborate to present unique and impactful work in unexpected ways – not just for a typical audience, within the four walls of a theatre, but for small numbers with particular needs.’  Linda Geraghty, Venue Director, Riverbank Arts Centre

Please join us on Friday 25th January 2019 at 11am for a presentation about SING ME TO THE SEA if this project is of interest to you. Email Caroline – marketing@riverbank.ie by 5pm Thursday 24th if you would like to attend.