The Thalia theatre company is a group for disabled people with physical and sensory impairments and for people with learning difficulties. They use physical and visual theatre that focuses on the body as a tool for communication and expression.
The company started after a summer school last year, which included a week's worth of practice, followed by a show. The project was a huge success and the performance was spellbinding. A year on and the theatre company has progressed to an astounding degree. After the summer school, the actors had become close friends in the short amount of time they were together and wanted to do more projects. The founder of Thalia, Molly Rose-Hutchinson, decided to make a weekly theatre group instead of just a yearly project and so the company was born. A helping hand With the help of her husband and an army of volunteers, Molly has raised more than £80,000 for the company after it gained charity status. The adult and youth groups meet twice a week.
 | | Relaxing by the seaside |
I went to see the youth group at their last weekly meeting before the summer school. There seems to be a real feeling of teamwork and community spirit, with the company being much more like a group than a school. "It's all improvised, so no one really knows if you mess up. But if you do mess up, everyone else helps you out," said Sylvia, one of the actresses. Molly echoed this, saying that "the less able ones are always supported by the other actors and actresses." Molly sees herself as one of the actors and passes on her skills to them rather than trying to explicitly teach them. This is one of the key elements of the group and is the reason it works so well. Leading the way "In some ways this group is pioneering," Molly said, and she's right. There are a few groups similar to Thalia around the country, but nothing quite like it. "All the ideas come from the children and this is essential. I ask them what they think. That's something that no-one does," she added.
 | | A solo performance after practice |
Kim and Sylvia have been part of Thalia since it started and feel it's more like a youth group than a theatre company. You don't feel silly or nervous as you do at other drama groups, like ones in school. "You can just go mad and know that no one else will laugh at you," said Sylvia. "We've got so much more confidence than we used to have," added Kim,. Sylvia said that it was an exciting experience. "You've got lots of different people - different disabilities and different ages and types of people. With this group, you can just come in and have fun," she said. "And use all your energy through dance," said Kim. Summer school Many of the young actors will be attending the summer school and hopefully there will be some new faces as the company has started attracting attention from the media. "Initially the media were a bit suspicious that something was happening in Norfolk. But then they saw what it actually was," said Molly.
 | | Creating the sea creature |
Building on this year's success, Molly hopes to take the company further next year. Kim has been working with the adult group as a helper and is an enthusiastic promoter of the company. Molly is looking to employ her as a full time helper and to get more volunteers to contribute, as the company is sure to get bigger as its profile grows. The performers are all hugely enthusiastic and Molly knows that "every single one of them loves coming here." The summer school finishes with a performance at the Norwich Arts Centre on Friday 26 August, 2005. "We don't really know what's going to happeen, but I'm sure it will be interesting!" said Molly. | 
