Playing from the Heart (NR, 1999)

This theatrical production of the real-life story of deaf percussionist Evelyn Glennie begins with Evelyn as a child in a small town in Scotland, much beloved by her family. No one understands why the little girl's hearing is diminishing. As Evelyn grows, she becomes profoundly deaf, but insists that she wants to be a percussionist, and that she can "hear" through the vibrations in her nose. She learns to play barefoot, so that she can hear with her "ears on the inside" and through determination and hard work she is able to defy the expectations of all around her and gain acceptance to the Royal Academy of Music.

PLAYING FROM THE HEART is a real treasure for family viewing. As with the other productions from Globalstage, it may take some kids a while to get used to the more impressionistic style of story-telling of a filmed stage production, but it is well worthwhile, both for the exposure to a subtler, more challenging style of storytelling and for the considerable merits of this extraordinary story.

One of the best of this first-class series, this video is well worth watching. The tape includes footage of the real Evelyn Glennie, now a world-famous musician.