Vamos Central is thrilled to be taking part in Elgar at the Asylum, a heritage and arts project bringing together history, music and the lived experience of learning disabled people to tell an extraordinary Worcestershire story.

Taking place at Malvern Theatres on 26th and 27th September, Elgar at the Asylum is an immersive promenade performance, leading audiences through different spaces within the building, encountering music, film, dance, visual art and theatre as the story unfolds around them. The performance combines history with contemporary voices to create a moving and thought-provoking experience that celebrates creativity, challenges assumptions and imagines a more inclusive future.

Long before he became one of Britain’s best-known composers, a young Edward Elgar was commissioned to write and conduct music for dances at Worcester County Pauper and Lunatic Asylum in Powick. This little-known chapter of his life became the starting point for the project, exploring not only Elgar and his music, but also the lives of the people who lived within the asylum, reflecting on how society has viewed learning disability and mental health over the last 150 years - and how much still needs to change.

Vamos Central will take part alongside our friends at The Monday Night Club, C&T, DanceFest and Malvern Theatres, devising a show as part of the performance that speaks to Edward Elgar’s experience as bandmaster, creating and conducting the band made up from members of staff for Friday night tea dances, put on for the residents of the hospital. Accompanied by live musicians, Vamos Central will explore choice, what happens when we stop telling and start listening, and the enriching, healing, power of music and dance - all  in our warm, joyful and hilarious style. Oh, and there will be dancing. Always dancing!

To find out more and book tickets, visit The Monday Night Club's website