A performance of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe at Dorchester Abbey could lead to more arts workshops for children at the church.
The performance, funded by a grant from the Diocese of Oxford Development Fund, involved children from four primary schools who worked with Christian theatre group Opera Brava to rehearse and then perform the show. It formed part of the Dorchester Festival, a bi-annual fundraiser which features art and music events across 10 days.
Rector, the Revd Jane Willis, explained: “The main focus of the project was the seven full school days the schools were with us in Dorchester Abbey. In that time the children learnt and performed a ‘real opera’ - based on CS Lewis’s gospel allegory, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
“Working with a professional opera company – director, composer, singers and others – the children learnt a huge quantity of music and words, made props and masks, some chose to audition for main parts, every child starred, a child who chose not to perform was employed as stage crew – their final performance with full stage set and lighting was to a large audience in a packed Abbey. What they achieved was astonishing and powerful.”
As well as being a great experience for the 101 children who took part, the project has helped to develop the church’s links with the schools and their families. The team are now looking at the potential for similar events in the future, to use a mission tool rather than a simple fundraiser.
Jane concluded: “It’s a great example of a small grant, big impact. It was a wonderful creative and life-enhancing experience for all of the children who participated, opening new windows in their experience of both opera/music and theatre - and an encounter with the good news of the Kingdom.”
The Development Fund grants up to £1m each year to support churches in their missional activity. Read more about the difference these grants make.