Shattering Images in the Diversity Festival

Shattering Images Theatre Company were delighted to be invited to take part in the Lancaster Diversity Festival this October. The company performed it’s latest piece ‘The Last Composition’ to a packed audience at the Dukes Youth Arts Centre. Prior to the performance the company presented a short workshop. This introduced the audience to the themes of the play contained in the music of Mozart at the court of Joseph II of Austria. The play looks at the impact of Mozart’s genius on the society of that time, in particular the effect of Mozart’s musical vision on Antonio Salieri, the much favoured court composer.

In ‘The Last Composition’ we see the torture of Salieri as he is eventually driven to poison Mozart. Whether or not this is a true story it does make a wonderful fiction for dramatic conflict and contains a striking metaphor for the struggle of those individuals who bring to the world a unique, sometimes revolutionary perspective which challenges the established social mores and cultural conventions of the day.

The purpose of the Shattering Images project is to create a theatre company for young adults with learning difficulties and disabilities and give them an opportunity to work creatively and artistically as actors, performers and musicians in a professional theatre environment. Key to Shattering Images development is the encouragement to embrace the wider cultural heritage which equally belongs to them as to others.

The group was established in 1997 and has had many opportunities to perform in schools, colleges, theatres, at professional conferences, promenade venues and concert events. The range of Shattering Images work is wide and varied, from productions of  Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, Lorca’s ‘Blood Wedding’ and Brecht’s ‘A Threepenny Opera’

All Shattering Images productions have a workshop element to accompany the theatre piece either pre or post performance. The group devises the workshop to enable both audience and participants to gain a deeper insight into the meaning of the text or the play. Many observers have remarked how crucial these workshops can be in the breaking down of barriers and facilitating understanding of the group and its work.

Louise Bryning in her review of ‘The Last Composition’ for the Lancaster Guardian wrote: ‘ There is still a lot of ignorance and prejudice about. That is why  I hope that ‘The Last Composition’ and any future Shattering Images productions could be seen by a wider audience. It would be a theatrical experience they would never forget.

We hope Shattering Images will continue its work both locally, nationally and internationally, and will inspire others with learning difficulties and disabilities to do the same.

The project is funded by Lancashire County Council Youth and Community Service, in partnership with the Dukes and the Adult College.