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6.09 | Original Opera Created by Students with Disabilities
Bancroft School to premiere student-run musical production
Haddonfield, NJ - June 2009 - After months of planning, writing, designing sets, creating costumes, and practicing, Bancroft School students will raise the curtain on their original opera "For the Love of Mummy" staged free to the public on June 4 at 7 pm at the Ritz Theatre in Haddon Township.
Set in the 1930's, "For the Love of Mummy" is a journey traveling from Egypt to Hollywood in search of a stolen necklace taken from the mummy's tomb. The surprise "who done it" is packed with romance, adventure and espionage as told through its music and libretto against an Egyptian backdrop.
Now in its eighth year, Bancroft's opera project is based on a program offered by the renowned Metropolitan Opera Guild, an education program available to selected schools across the country. Bancroft is one of the only schools in the nation successfully adopting this MET-based program for students with special needs.
The Bancroft School serves students with autism, developmental disabilities, acquired brain injuries and other neurological impairments.
Students from age 14 to 21 are involved in the ambitious production, mentored by Bancroft staff members to encourage creativity, communication and problem solving skills.
To stage the production, the students receive professional support from staff members of the Ritz Theatre as well as the use of their facility.
About Bancroft
Founded in 1883, Bancroft NeuroHealth annually serves more than 1,300 children and adults with developmental disabilities, brain injuries and other neurological impairments. Based in Haddonfield, NJ, Bancroft has sites in Camden, Burlington, Gloucester, Ocean, Salem and Middlesex counties and in New Jersey and Delaware. Programs include education, rehabilitation, vocational, residential, evaluation and treatment services.