Please see below a press release from Cheshire Cat Marketing
“Opera Soprano Injects Inclusivity & Empowers Deaf Children with ‘Down The Rabbit Hole’ Production
Throughout March, Charlotte Hoather shared her passion for the opera to inspire and educate children in over 25 performances across the UK with her rendition of ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’.
Charlotte Hoather, an acclaimed professional opera singer-turned-freelancer, has worked with a team of like-minded individuals to portray the wondrous and captivating story of Down The Rabbit Hole. Inspired by Lewis Carroll’s original, she had the pleasure of performing to over 1,000 school children throughout the Winsford and London areas.
Her drive to encourage and inspire the deaf and hard of hearing stems from her own personal experience of being diagnosed at birth as profoundly deaf in one ear. She has documented her extensive career and loss of hearing through an intimate blog that has inspirited readers across the country.
The story of Alice and those she meets on her journey to self-discovery is renowned for sparking free thinking, creativity and intuition all at once. Since a young age, Charlotte has strived to challenge the social expectations met by the deaf and HoH community, especially in terms of the limitations for pursuing a career or interest in the creative arts.
Therefore, she has made it her lifelong mission to push these boundaries in her career, which led her to this production. With a dream of making her music accessible to children from all walks of life, she has partnered with other talents on the spectrum that share the same drive.
She comments:
“The team I have assembled to work on my project represent the power of diversity. Together our abilities range from hearing to profoundly deaf, representing both on and offstage that even people labelled as disabled can be creative.
During my childhood, I could not connect with others dealing with hearing loss or deafness. Instead, I felt like the two worlds were separate. However, I was lucky to have supportive parents and an audiologist who encouraged me not to let my disability limit my dreams. I now want to celebrate hearing loss and pass on this encouragement to young children.
Deafness is the second most common disability in the UK, and as it is invisible, it often goes unnoticed. This project will champion deaf awareness and help to increase young people’s understanding of deaf culture and deafness so that our society can become more inclusive.”
The tour opened on the 9th of March in Winsford, with the finale on the 29th of March in
London. By working with other talents such as George Todica and Zoë McWhinney to share the beauty and universal power of music, she couldn’t have asked for a better reception.
The children’s willingness to engage with the pre-show materials allowed them to perform a British Sign Language poem during the performance confidently. Something that Charlotte could have only dreamed of prior to this tour.
“The children have been a credit to their schools and their towns. And for me, it has been a real joy, and I hope the project can go on to future tours for family and school audiences. I’m now looking for collaborators and funders who may be able to give the project wings!” – Charlotte Hoather
A special thanks to the money raised by National Lottery players who helped make this tour happen, as well as the fantastic team that dedicated their time and efforts to making the show such a success. Furthermore, thank you to the Winsford-based schools and specialist deaf schools in London, including Frank Barnes/King’s Cross Academy, who delivered a touching reaction to Down The Rabbit Hole.”
