Magic medicine for pupils at Donard

Nobody needs a spoonful of sugar to make Cahoots NI’s unique medicinal mixture go down in the most exciting way. The live magic conjured up by Northern Ireland’s leading theatre company for children is guaranteed to fire imaginations of all ages.

Supported by Tesco, Magic Medicine is a ground-breaking project, devised by Cahoots, which brings together arts and healthcare. The 35-minute show is currently touring special schools, hospices, hospitals and respite units across Northern Ireland, bringing bucket-loads of laughter, fun, music and magic to children, who are much in need of some light relief in their lives.

None of this is achieved without hard work, dedication and huge amounts of theatrical imagination and expertise. Devising projects like Magic Medicine involves very careful planning, as Cahoots NI’s artistic director Paul McEneaney explains.

He said, “Even though the performance may be relatively short, the planning that goes into it has to be scrupulous.

“The results are really rewarding. Every time you see the show performed in front of a group of children – or on an individual bedside basis in the hospices – you get a lump in your throat.

“These young people are just as deserving of the experience of top class theatre as everyone else. It’s wonderful for us, as established theatre professionals, to be doing something that is so worthwhile.”

Magic Medicine is directed by Paul McEneaney and performed by Christina Nelson and Victoria Vettese.