THEATRE: Would you like to take part in the Wind in the Willows in Thurles?

This November, Artistic Director of the Dwan Academy Performing Arts School, Therese Maher, is bringing to the stage an extraordinary and innovative Hip Hop version of the classic Wind in the Willows tale.

As part of her PhD project she would like to invite teenagers from the ages of 14 to 18 to be a part of this exciting research project that will look at the experiences of teenagers participating in the musical theatre production.

Full of beats, raps, street dance and whacking, this piece of new writing transposes Kenneth Grahame’s animal fable to an urban British Comprehensive school ‘The Willows’ and surrounding estates.

It’s Mole’s first day - she is taken under the wing of hip hop cool girl Rattie, her boyfriend Otter and the bling laden, rich-kid rapper Toad. A series of adventures ensue in which Mole learns both how to make friends and how to lose them - but ultimately how to find her voice and finally speak up about her troubled past.

Simultaneously uplifting and provocative this new musical gives a voice to a group of young people rarely represented on our stages. This is not Disney. These animal students are recognisably human, young and for the most part abandoned by the rest of society. Their teacher Badger is one of the few adults who believes in them and in their potential to achieve.

Those interested in participating should contact Therese by the 6th of June on 085 1654 854 to book a place at the information evening.

Rehearsals will take place mostly over the summer in the Dwan Academy premises on Parnell Street.