One Or Two Things About Us

1 or 2 Things About Us is a community production from Mixit Days, an inclusive theatre company who work with disabled people and give them a chance to perform on the stage. 1 or 2 Things About Us has a great compilation of songs and acts whilst shining light on many of the issues people with disability face as well as new government legislation that instead of improving things has inhibited much of the work supporting people with disabilities.

Seeing the satisfaction from the performers as they thank you for coming and shake hands with you and sing with you is incredibly uplifting.

Included in the group are members who suffer from Cerebral Palsy, Down’s syndrome and Autism. Each one of them act, sing and dance with passion in a beautiful production led by the Mixit Days Theatre Company. There are beautiful harmonies and good choreography. Matthew Millward in particular performs an excellent solo dance and a duet with one of the Mixit performers. In the middle of the musical numbers a moving scene is enacted in which Emily, who suffers from severe Down’s syndrome, tries to talk to her social worker who is forced to ignore her. This is because of the new safeguarding laws that the government implemented in April of this year that stop social workers from having any interactions with their clients outside of working hours. In the scene Emily says, ‘OK. But I thought we were friends.’ This is followed by a beautiful song that highlights the production’s key themes; the importance of inclusion as a basic human right and the importance of friendship. It’s incredibly touching and it’s fantastic to see this type of work making it into the Fringe.

There are moving renditions of Imagine and When Jesus Was and fun, lively songs like Roar and Man in the Mirror. 1 or 2 Things About Us is a wonderful community piece but it’s so much more than that. It’s a production that promotes and demonstrates the beauty of inclusion and the talents of these dedicated performers. At the end, the performers sing and dance into the audience and encourage you to join in. Seeing the satisfaction from the performers as they thank you for coming and shake hands with you and sing with you is incredibly uplifting. More than just a community theatre piece, Mixit Days’ 1 or 2 Things About Us is a beautiful project about inclusion and friendship. This impressive production is informative, heart-warming and inspirational. Mixit Days deserve to continue touring their influential work anywhere and everywhere.

If you get a chance to see them, do. It’ll warm your heart and trust me, you’ll be glad you did.