A Sydney-First Inclusive Musical Fostering Inclusivity, Diversity and Connectedness
At Umbrella School of Music, we pride ourselves on providing a community where music, singing, and movement become powerful tools for expression and personal growth. Our programs cater for both children and adults, with and without disability.
Our groundbreaking inclusive musical initiative was designed to foster inclusivity, showcase diversity, and bring joy and connectedness to our community. What makes our inclusive production so special is the innovative ‘buddy casting model’ which groups an individual child or adult without disability with another individual (or two) with disability, to share the same character role.
Check out this trailer with snippets of our first inclusive musical “Camp Rock” from the start to the end
to see the buddy casting model in action:
Our Journey to Inclusiveness & Accessibility
Our commitment to providing inclusive performing arts opportunities dates back to 2017 when Ingrid Bass, the current Principal Facilitator of Umbrella School of Music, introduced classes for children and adults with disability at her previous school, Applause Musical Theatre Academy. The transformative journey of these students, marked by their growth in learning, confidence, and captivating stage performances, was simply priceless.
When performing, the joy radiated not only on the faces of the students with disability but also extended to their families and the entire audience, forming a heartwarming spectacle. This beauty expanded further as friendships blossomed when those with disability interacted with students without disability, who supported and celebrated them, fostering an accepting and caring school community.
To explore the origin of Umbrella School of Music, click here.
Grouping Performers for an Inclusive and Insightful Spectacle
Fast forward to 2021 where Ingrid’s daughter, Sophie, found inspiration and personal growth by performing with the innovative and inclusive ‘Stars and the Moon’ theatre group in Melbourne. Through their productions, Sophie not only formed lifelong friendships with people with disability but also acquired valuable life skills on how to help, communicate and learn with them. Witnessing the enchantment of ‘SpongeBob the Musical’ ignited Ingrid’s determination to bring a similar transformative, inclusive theatre experience to the heart of Sydney!
Sophie and her buddy in their ‘Sandy Cheeks’ costumes
for Stars and the Moon’s SpongeBob the Musical
Following the winning formula of ‘Stars and the Moon,’ our inclusive musical of Disney’s ‘Camp Rock’ grouped individuals with and without disability, having them buddy up as the same character in the production. Together in their character groups, the performers shared costumes, lines, solos, and parts, creating a harmonious stage experience that celebrated diversity and a powerful narrative of unity. This production empowered individuals of all ages, abilities and disabilities to shine and share their extraordinary talents and strengths on stage.
Our Exclusive Pilot Workshop
Thanks to funding from the Willoughby City Council, the project kicked off with an engaging workshop to introduce potential cast members to each other and experience first hand singing, dancing and acting activities from the show.
Next, we held auditions and began the challenging role of casting each character into pairs (or groups of three for the larger roles) where a person without disability could learn with and support another person (or two) with disability so that everyone had a chance to share the spotlight on stage.
Behind the Scenes: Rehearsals, Costumes & Prop/Set Design
Rehearsals were held on Sundays from 3-6pm for 21 weeks over a 7 month period (as no rehearsals were held in the Term 3 and end of year school holidays).
Thanks Monique Mary Photography for taking these rehearsal photos for no fee to support our project!
Our talented cast collaboratively worked hard to bring their characters to life – portraying them in whichever way they could whilst sometimes speaking or singing together and other times sharing lines, parts and solos. And what’s more, they had so much fun together and formed friendships that we expect will continue long after the final applause was heard on March 29 of 2025!
Check out this exclusive behind-the-scenes video from our rehearsals! See the cast’s dedication, talent and joy as they learnt this song together from Camp Rock.
During the end of year school holidays, Ingrid and Marisa (our Costume, Set and Props Designer) had fun purchasing costumes, after which, cast Mum Tessa was busy making repairs to ensure they were stage-ready.
Here are some photos of our amazing cast in costume! Spot those in the same costumes!
Also check out these fabulous “Camp Star” jackets, with the logo designed by cast member Marcello and sewn on with silver stars by Tessa, modelled by her and her son Oliver (who portrayed the nasty Camp Star leader of Camp Rock’s rival camp).
Once the costumes were all sorted, our focus shifted to sourcing and creating props and projector slides to transform the Zenith Theatre into the two rival camps – Camp Rock and Camp Star!
Our dress and tech rehearsal was a big day on Sunday March 23 where we went through the show scene by scene and song by song. Radio transmitters with head mics were placed and turned on and off our cast of 38 as it was their turn to speak or sing.
Here are some photos from that rehearsal taken by Snapshot Imagery!
Trusted By Our Community
Driven by the conviction that every voice deserves to be heard, we set out on a mission to dismantle barriers and cultivate a profound sense of compassion and togetherness in the community.
We are thrilled to say that we achieved that mission – all three shows sold out, and proud parents, families, disability organisations, sponsors, donors and strangers alike smiled, clapped and cheered the whole way through each show! Needless to say the smiles on the faces of our cast as they performed and had their moments to shine on stage, were so moving.
Our audiences found the performances of our cast aged 9 to 59 years old, with and without disability, so heart-warming and touching, and revelled in the talent that each cast member showed! In our cast, the disabilities ranged from autism, Down Syndrome, intellectual disability, Cerebral Palsy, dwarfism, sight and hearing impairments, anxiety disorders and many more – but this didn’t stop them portraying their character in their own special way, with the support of their buddies without disability.
To make the show even more interactive and get the energy soaring, the audience was taught to sing parts of two songs in the show in the 2 short breaks while mics were swapped. Then at the end of the show they joined in singing with the cast bringing unity and connection amongst cast and audience! This was much enjoyed by all!
Cast and Parent Testimonials
Our cast, with and without disability, benefited enormously and in so many ways by being involved in our inclusive musical! See here some of their testimonials and those of their parents.
Our Official Partners
We are so grateful to the councils, companies and organisations who sponsored our inclusive musical project or gave us significant discounts to help us cover the costs.
We would also like to thank many families, friends, clients and other individuals who donated thousands of dollars towards our project. Some cast members (along with Umbrella) even sponsored others so they could participate in rehearsals. We feel blessed that our community supported our vision to make this opportunity accessible to everyone!
Thanks also to the Zenith Theatre in Chatswood for the beautiful venue, your support and for providing such an accessible backstage area for our cast. Your theatre is now a part of theatre history, having provided a space to hold Sydney’s first inclusive musical production of Disney’s Camp Rock, the one act edition on the 25th, 27th and 29th of March 2025.
Whilst we have no set date for our next inclusive musical, we do hope to present another one in the near future, possibly with rehearsals starting in 2026!
If you’d like to join us on this extraordinary adventure, please fill in this expression of interest form and we will keep you updated with the project as it develops.
See you at our next inclusive musical where we champion diversity, foster friendships, and revel in the sheer joy of creating theatre together!