The title was unveiled here by London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe and Ceremonies executive producer Stephen Daldry, who were joined by the co-artistic directors for the Paralympic Opening Ceremony, Jenny Sealey and Bradley Hemmings (pictured above, left and right).

Sealey has made her name as the artistic director of Graeae, the United Kingdom's flagship disabled-led theatre company, while Hemmings is best known as the artistic director of Greenwich+Docklands Festivals (GDF), an organisation with an international reputation for creating extraordinary outdoor arts events.

The pair revealed that the Paralympic Opening Ceremony, which will begin at 8:30pm GMT and be opened by the Queen, will showcase the excellence of deaf and disabled artists and will open with a fly past by "Aerobility", a British charity that trains disabled people to become pilots.

There will also be a key emphasise on the Paralympics coming home as Stoke Mandeville was where the seeds of the Games were sown in 1948 when German neurologist Sir Ludwig Guttman organised events for World War Two veterans with spinal cord injuries who were rehabilitating at the local hospital.

"Jenny and Bradley's spectacular Paralympic Opening Ceremony will be a great showcase of the skills and excellence of disabled artists," Coe said.

"The London 2012 Ceremonies are truly global events, with billions of people across the world watching the four shows.

"This is undoubtedly a fantastic opportunity to showcase talents to the world.

"Exactly 50 specialist performers are taking part in an eight-week circus skills training programme taking place here at Circus Space in Hackney in preparation for the Ceremony.


The programme will see performers with disability, including established artists and people new to the arts such as rehabilitating soldiers and non-competing Paralympians, learn circus arts skills.

In total, the Ceremony will include an adult volunteer cast of over 3,000, a children volunteer cast of over 100 and a professional cast of over 100.

"Bradley and I are relishing this opportunity of creating our Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony," Sealey said.

"We are on a rollercoaster of a journey and with us we have an awesome creative team, a wonderful professional cast and an extraordinary team of volunteers.

"It is immensely exciting and always terrifying especially as the days are passing at the rate of knots.

"But we will be ready to show the world the story we have so carefully developed and nurtured."

Hemmings was equally excited.

"Jenny and I want our Ceremony to be both spectacular and deeply human at the same time," he said.

"Having worked together in outdoor theatre over a number of years we're determined that the Ceremony should speak from the heart, whilst rising to the emotional and historic occasion of the homecoming of the Paralympic Games."

It was also confirmed today that Barking and Dagenham will host a key rehearsal site for the London 2012 Ceremonies.

London 2012 Ceremonies crew and cast will move to start rehearsals on May 19 at a once derelict car park in Dagenham which will be transformed into a fully operational rehearsal unit.

The space will replicate the performance area in the Olympic Stadium and will see 110 days of rehearsals take place for all four Ceremonies.

The rehearsals will continue right up to the days leading up to the Games while the Stadium is prepared for Games-time use.


The schools participating the Paralympic Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies have now been confirmed.

Hackney's Millfields Community School, Newham's Eastlea Community School and Barking and Dagenham's Trinity School will feature in the Opening Ceremony with Greenwich's John Roan Secondary School, Waltham Forest's Woodside Primary School and Tower Hamlets' Morpeth School to feature at the Closing Ceremony.

Once again, William Shakespeare's play The Tempest will make an appearance as it will in the Olympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies.

The play will be the key thread that links all four Ceremonies although they will all be unique from each other in style.

"The Opening Ceremony of the Paralympic Games is always a magical occasion and I am extremely impressed at what London 2012 has in store for the global audience," said International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Sir Philip Craven.

"The theme 'Enlightenment' is a fitting one as I am sure the cumulative TV audience of four billion that will watch the Games, as well as the spectators in the stadiums, will be enlightened by the stunning performances of all 4,200 athletes who take part in London 2012," he said.

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