Hospital and disability

 

Culture in the hospital

For the 6^th consecutive season, the Opéra national du Rhin has formed a partnership with EPSAN (public health establishment of northern Alsace), which deals with problems of mental health.
By coming to our shows and discovering the operatic and choreographic world through visits and watching rehearsals, patients of all ages are able to feed their imagination and, for a time, escape from their everyday life. These activities are backed by practical gesture workshops and meetings with our singers. Wonderful moments of complicity and discovery where differences are cast aside and self-development plays an essential role.


The Opéra national du Rhin at Hautepierre Hospital
A tripartite action

For the past 3 seasons, the GDS Network and the Opéra national du Rhin have joined forces to organise activities in the paediatric onco-haematology ward at Hautepierre Hospital. The GDS network is financing the project, while the Opera is contributing its artistic knowledge and know-how. This action is conducted through ARAME, a regional medical and social association set up to help children suffering from malignant diseases.
Singers from Opéra Studio go into the paediatric onco-haematology ward (long-term hospitalisation), and children attached to the Day Hospital are coming to the young audience shows running this season, Ali Baba ou les Quarante Voleurs and Rêves 7, and will then visit behind the scenes.

Interview with Professor Lutz, Head of the paediatric oncology ward at Hautepierre Hospital What impact did the activities organised by Opéra Studio have on your ward? Opéra Studio's visit to the hospital unit was a real moment of encounter and shared emotion. It was greatly appreciated by the children, their parents and the care team. We were surprised by the unflagging attention the children focused on the artists, never showing any signs of impatience. For many, it was also an opportunity to discover music and songs that were often new to them. The magnificent voices and music filtered through the doors and walls of the rooms. Even the children in protective isolation, who were unable to leave their rooms, could share the experience. In short, it was an extraordinary, magical moment and quite different from the activities usually organised. It was a moment of sharing and contact that went beyond cultural origins.

Opening the bubble

For the 2^nd consecutive season, the Opéra national du Rhin is running activities with the Day Hospital in Colmar to help autistic people discover and gain access to musical culture by guiding them in lyric art and choreography.

Through meetings and exchanges with artists and watching rehearsals and shows, the patients come out of their shell and start to express and externalise their feelings and emotions.