The White Knight and the Two Bears: A very new pantomime (2017)

for young adults with autism and speech impediments

in collaboration with Arc in the Park

Project description: Three rappers in a fairy tale Forest

For this project, I collaborated with the boys and girls from Arc in the Park’s youth club for young adults with autism and special needs, situated in East London. We devised the script together about the white knight George and his royal subjects who are in fear of two bears who live in the forest. The knightly king must go into a deep forest to stop the two bears from eating the children of the farmers. In the end, there was not a lot of blood-shed, but modern musical magic: the rap song of three rappers called the M-dudes transformed the fight between the king and the bears into a joyful dance and musical theatre utopia that also brought the audience in.

When you’re are fighting with your bears 
Think about flowers, bowers, fidget spinners 
Think about cottages by the sea
with a wonderful attic and a fig tree 

And you are fighting no more.

- from the rap song of the three dudes

Theatrical Concept: Pantomime as inclusive art form

In the spirt of panto, the story used fairy tale and legendary elements from the Western canon, such as Saint George the Dragon-Slayer or the three Magi. The participants brought their favourite toys to the first session and we turned them into the heroes of the play. I gently modernised some of the archetypes for a contemporary context: George became a slightly self-indulgent bear-slayer. The three kings became three rappers, contemporary wearers of blings. The diverse set-up of the group allowed for a colour-blind casting to subtly perform against stereotypes such as the white saviour on a non-verbal level.

 
In a series of workshops and rehearsals, we explored the inclusive joy pantomime song, dance and role-play can bring to a community theatre project for young adults with autism and related speech impediments. In general, I have experienced the form of British pantomime as a great tool for inclusive theatre-making. It brings a differently-abled group together through its various outlets of expression, its performative exuberance of song and dance and its ironising distance to norms.