Paddington Arts Presents: Olivia Twist

By: KitKat Brown

Paddington Arts is truly a special place where people of all ages can come together and nurture their creativity. Through putting on productions, Paddington allows the youth to become involved in the performing arts and develop their talent, as well as socialize and connect. The children who come to Paddington Arts don’t just muddle through their practices; rather they actually have a desire to be at Paddington. Some children come from hard backgrounds, and Paddington acts as a safe space for them. This summer, Paddington Arts will be putting on a production of the popular musical Olivia Twist. These children who are part of the production are able to have their own outlet. I had the wonderful opportunity to observe rehearsal one day, and I also got the chance to speak with director Eldora Edward about what makes the children and the production so special and meaningful.

I am so grateful to have been able to watch rehearsal. Immediately, I noticed the talent that every child possessed. They were using mature acting skills, and their ability to memorize lines was impressive. I was very captivated by their performance, and even in just a small amount of time I could tell that the finished product would be amazing. Seeing these children perform made me curious about their stories and how they choose to interpret their art. Eldora Edward is the Deputy Director and Head of Programming at Paddington Arts, and the director of Olivia Twist. I sat down with her and we discussed what the production means to the children.

Eldora said, “…the area we live in, we are just dealing with the obvious. Deprived young children, single parent families…So it’s an outlet. It’s also a very safe social space for them. So these young people who come here may not have a PS game console, or an Xbox, or the latest iPhone. So they come and they do…old-school socializing…catch up with your friends in a safe space.” Paddington Arts serves not only as a place for the arts, but as a safe space for children from all kinds of backgrounds. Children who may have a tough home life or who struggle socially or mentally can interact in what is truly a safe space. Due to a wide range of opportunities offered, children are able to use the whole performing arts sector as an outlet at Paddington. Eldora also shared with me how she takes the time to familiarize herself with each child and what they need as it pertains to the show. Eldora explained her approach when writing the script: “I watch them, I write the character that I know they are. So they’re not changing. They just become more elaborate… Because this is an after school provision, and my thing is, you don’t want to come from school to school.” Eldora tailors each character to each child. Through this, the children are able to still be grounded in themselves. This also lessens the taxing mental energy and instead turns the experience into a physical and spiritual outlet. The people at Paddington, especially Eldora, are what make it a safe social space for children and a great place to delve into the magic of performing arts. Paddington truly wants the best for all of the youth who attend, and the impact it has on them is something that will always stick with me.