The Creative Show is the brainchild of Angie Smalis, Artistic Director of Limerick Youth Theatre and Donal Sherlock, Manager of Daughters of Charity Service, Limerick. Its purpose is to integrate members of the youth theatre and service users by creating a variety show.

Donal tells me they wanted to “design a project that would enable people to pursue their individual life goals, create opportunities for social inclusion and provide opportunities for young people to develop their talent in the performing arts.”

Pictured is director Myles Breen and performers at rehearsal.

This is the seventh year and it has been so successful and grown so big that the name The Creative Show is used to encompass all the different participating groups as performing the piece are Limerick Youth Theatre, service users from the Daughters of Charity Service Limerick, transition year students from the Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ and Ardscoil Rís choirs, dancers from Patterns Dance Collective and Limerick Youth Dance, the Lumen Street Theatre Company along with musicians from Music Generation Limerick City.

 This year The Creative Show presents ‘#GoggleBox’, a comic family show written and directed by Myles Breen with movement pieces devised and choreographed by Angie Smalis, based on the hot TV show ‘Googlebox’.

 LYT members, service users, choir, dancers and musicians rehearse together over the course of three months culminating in over 170 young adults and service users participating in this project with two evening performances at the Lime Tree Theatre.

 Donal Sherlock, Manager of Daughters of Charity Service tells me, ‘You cannot imagine how great it is for the Daughters of Charity to be involved for the seventh year in this collaboration. Our focus on inclusiveness, creativity, and excellence has over the years helped to broaden our community engagement, to contribute in a meaningful way and copper fastened our inclusion in the local community.’

 Angie Smalis, Artistic Director of Limerick Youth Theatre added, ‘#GoggleBox is the result of a seven-year collaboration between Limerick Youth Theatre and the Daughters of Charity Service, Limerick. It is a three month socially innovative artistic project built on the founding elements of expression, exploration, communication and education. The participants work with an experienced hand of professional arts practitioners who are drawn from the fields of music, contemporary dance, theatre, street performance and design.”

 The Creative Show presents GoggleBox on Monday, March 27 and Tuesday, March 28 at the Lime Tree Theatre at 8pm. Tickets available at www.limetreetheatre.ie/show/creative-show-2017.