Tuned In Project hosts spectacular wrestling show at the City Hotel

The City Hotel was a hive of activity, action and elation on Saturday night as members of the Tuned In Project showed that with hard work, belief and more than a little attitude, anything is possible.

‘The Foyle Rumble’, a wrestling show featuring real wrestlers and individuals with learning and physical differences, was the result of months of hard work and perseverance, with performers realising their dreams of entering the ring for one night only.

With the help of Complete Anarchy Wrestling (CAW), the Tuned In Project produced a remarkably entertaining and memorable show which had the hundreds in attendance enthralled throughout.

“It's been brilliant,” Sean Curran of Tuned In said. “The crowd were loving it, and the students were amazing. There was a hardcore match, with ladders and chairs and thumbtacks, which people weren't expecting and I saw a few children crying at that out there, but that means it was mission successful.”

Part of the appeal of the show was in its uniqueness, with those involved throwing themselves wholeheartedly into the amazing world of wrestling, with memorable entrances, horrible heels, brilliant babyfaces and no shortage of foreign objects used throughout.

“No, not in Derry, especially in that way, adults with learning difficulties,” Sean agreed. “They wouldn't expect anything like this from them, but that's what the Tuned In Project is all about. We like to get ourselves out of a pigeonhole, and you can't pigeonhole what our students can do, and we're proving it to everybody out there.

“There's so much that goes on. It's a live-action movie, basically, where the crowd can interact and they can shout at the baddie and get grief back from the baddie. But all the choreography, the planning, the memory as well, of having to remember where to be, what to doing. It's a tough ask for anybody, but the students have been unbelievable, and thanks to the CAW wrestlers too, keeping them on track during the matches.”

The idea of producing a wrestling show was much different to the reality, with so much work involved to make the vision come true.

“We’ve been flat out pretty much since February,” Sean admitted. “In January, there was a bit of apprehension when we first started the training, and then once February started and everyone got used to it, they were like, “let's go for this”. So, it's been stress and just rehearsing, rehearse, rehearse, and teaching people moves and whatnot, but it's going well.”

Potential

All proceeds from the event were dedicated to fulfilling the group's dream trip to Disneyland Paris, but after such a thrilling and successful show, Sean may have to start planning for ‘Foyle Rumble 2’ sooner than he expected.

“They do want to see this,” he continued. “The feedback from everybody from people that have never seen a wrestling show before was like, ‘Oh my God’, so I'm proud of everybody involved.

“I love wrestling, and I thought, you know what, I'd do wrestling someday, but I wouldn't be brave enough to go out and do what my students are doing. And some of them, the CAW boys backstage thanked me for a dream come true because he's never done thumbtacks before. So, he was just thanking me. And the students that have performed already are saying the same thing, and they're asking when the next show is already. I'm like, oh, give me a wee minute.”

The Tuned In Project helps individuals reach their potential through music and the creative and performance arts, and Saturday night certainly proved the value of ambition and team work.

“They can do anything,” Sean insisted. “We have a choir, a football team. We do so many different sports and activities, and I think this is next level, and I think it just proves to everybody that there's more to come. I don't know what that is yet, but it's been amazing.”