Inclusive performing troupe REACH is all about heart
When it comes to its performers, REACH! Performing Company is looking for heart.
The company, part of the non-profit West Coast Reach Association, offers people with disabilities a chance to perform on stage in public shows that include even those who are non-vocal.
“You can see them, on stage, clearly not singing vocally, but with their hearts,” said Anne-Marie Brimacombe, the group’s musical and artistic director. “They win hearts and uplift the human spirit with their performances.”
Brimacombe, who co-founded the association in 2017, believes that “everyone possesses something special and the performing arts brings out the best in us.”
“When we perform, we find a connectivity through both our similarities and differences.”
The idea of people with special needs performing with others on stage was revolutionary when Brimacombe and her husband, Peter, introduced it in a non-profit vocational school in Trinidad and Tobago, where they were living and teaching, between 2011 and 2015.
“People were initially hesitant to embrace the concept at that time,” said Peter Brimacombe, a musician and composer who also serves as the association’s administrator.
They brought the idea back to Canada, however, forming the association, which now has 40 members, some of whom have a background in performing arts.
The non-profit’s programs have since branched out to include the Our Place OutREACH singers — nicknamed the Victoria Soup Kitchen Singers — who sing musical favourites with members of the street community in the dining rooms of the Our Place street shelter, the Rainbow Kitchen and the Mustard Seed Food Bank in Victoria.
“It’s performing arts for a social good,” said Peter Brimacombe.
The organization also has a children’s chorus for those age seven to 12, as well as two programs for newcomers through the InterCultural Association of Greater Victoria.
“Learning a new language is hard, but music is the universal language,” said Anne-Marie Brimacombe, noting the association has an early-childhood learning program for preschool children and one for adults. “The programs facilitate English-language development through singing, making it fun and a joy while learning new words and expressions in songs.”
The organization’s next performance is What’s Your Story 2, at the Star Cinema in Sidney on March 3.
Tickets are $15 in advance, and $20 at the door. The show runs
1 to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 3 at the Star Cinema, 9840 Third St. in Sidney.
• For more information, and ticket info, go online to westcoastreach. org/shows.html.