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Jalan Impian - The Musical!
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The Star Newspaper
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Visit an eye-opener for youngsters
By GEETHA KRISHNAN |
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| It is an ordeal having to live with cerebral palsy. As the children of the Special Children Association of Hulu Langat suffer from combination of several conditions, the small group of healthy and able-bodied children, teenagers and adolescents found their visit to the association an eye-opener.Their visit was the result of a suggestion by theatre personality Sandra Sodhy who felt that the group, the partial cast of Jalan Impian - The Musical, would benefit from the few hours spent with the special children.
Based on an idea by choreographer Farah Sulaiman and directed by Sabrina Hassan, Jalan Impian will feature a cast of 50 children and youngsters between eight and 18, performing alongside guest artistes like Peter Ong, Radhi Khalid, Tony Eusoff and Omar Arif. The association president and administrator Shirley Tan and staff received the 25 members of the musical. Set up a decade ago by parents of children with cerebral palsy, including Tan, the association is independently run with donations in cash and kind from the public and aid from the Social Welfare Department.
“The association functions as a day training facility and rehabilitation centre for mentally and physically disabled children. Among others, it offers the Early Intervention Programme, pre-vocational course, physiotherapy and speech therapy,” said Tan whose daughter, Steffi, with cerebral palsy is now 17. It aims to train children with special needs to live as independently as their abilities would allow, to teach parents and caregivers so that training can be continued at home and to bring about greater acceptance by the public. “Since we are putting up a charity show, it would be good for cast members to understand who is going to benefit from the funds raised. Through the visit, we also hope to form a bond between the children and encourage future visits,” said Sodhy. From the smiles on the faces of the special children, it was obvious that the cast members were successful in cheering them up. It was also a break away from the schedule for the children. As the cast moved around the different rooms of the single-storey terrace house in their effort to sing and entertain, laughter from the children were heard. Before long, the special children were being warmly hugged while attempts at conversation were also made. Understudy Marcus Lee and cast member Alesia Parlas quickly warmed up to Ikmal Ikliuidin who had Angelman Syndrome, a rare neuro-genetic disorder characterised by severe intellectual disability, speech impediment, unstable jerky gait, seizures and a happy demea-nour. Coaxing a child with cerebral palsy was another Understudy Lee Sze Ching who seemed at ease with Lee's gentle effort. She later said she often volunteered at a home for the mentally retarded in Brickfields. The Jalan Impian charity gala under the patronage of Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali will be staged at 8.30pm on July 13 at the KL Performing Arts Centre in Sentul West. Tickets are priced at RM152, RM102 and RM82, inclusive of service charge. For bookings, call the KL PAC Box Office at 03-4047 9000 or The Actors Studio Box Office in Bangsar at 03-2094 9400. |
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