About Us

Welcome to the energetic African music, dance and drama home of the professionals, The Unity Drum Theater (UDT). We perform African music, dance and drama from all over the African continent. It's our lifetime dedication to learn about Africa based on over many years' performance experience, led by Charles Richardson; we bring to clients, an informed performance at one's doorstep with deep passions of Africa.

UDT Performances: 

Our performances are interactive or on a stage setting. This includes live African music with drums; xylophones; bamboo flutes, and songs/chants that connect with energetic African dances and drama from "mother Africa." The colorful costumes and themed face painting bring lasting memories.

Special Performance:

 For that special day in your life, we can serve you like a royal with any of the special occasion African music, dance and drama a package that best suits your  need. Wherever you come from, just talk to us, and your dreams shall be transformed into reality. We bring the live-party to your hearts in the following three options: Bronze, Silver and Gold.

Bronze
This is a normal performance we offer to our client by the decision the group make by itself. In this case the clients just give us the program and just ask us to do as best as we can do without client request. We will make you have fun.

Silver
In this case our client brings out their own request to make a powerful showcase to the audience beneficiary. If it is a dance, client can choose their own dances and if it is drama you bring your own theme. Making fun is all what we look up to.

Gold
This includes Bronze and Silver but the value is that the audience now becomes part of the program. If it is wedding or a group of guest program, both couples or the guest will be taught a special dance, song, or drumming for them to participate in the course of the program.

Corporate Events Performances:

 The moments where CEO get a time to try new things and bond with the rank and file of the company. We have what it takes to break the ice  and set the human family rolling with one voice, and one drum beat of African performance.

National Assignments for Governments and Agencies: 

Treat dignitaries with the right splash of African dance, African drumming music etc. performance that makes the event a special one. We tailor such shows to the request of a specific protocol to bring out the best talents and share the moment with the house. In this way we bring you the energy of Africa as great ambassadors of a traditional African practices.

Festival Performances:

The heart of African music, dance and drama performance is one of the reasons why we bring a community together to interact in the most meaningful and healthy way of enjoying life to the fullest with UDT performance that speaks volumes "keeping it real."

Colleges Performances, Conference Performances, Universities Performances, Annual Meetings Performances, School Re-unions Performances...
Entertainment with a relax mode in educating the masses about the reasons why we do things the African way, the oral tradition that still lives in the minds of the custodians and ambassadors of the unique art forms of African dance and music. In this forum, we share through performance workshops, the ideal concepts and social function of African dance, music, history and the correlations. Topics may touch on Africa, then and now, the transformations that shape African States.

AOA or Aerobics-O-Africa

This is to rejuvenate the muscles that need some natural workout and conditioning for a healthy life style as well as understanding the tradition that affords you this opportunity to explore your inner self. Individual and group instructions enable participants to practice the basics through advance levels of core movements that keep you solid beyond the gym's offer. Our experts guide you through each level of the African dance aerobics session dubbed AOA journey. This is a great team effort with you in mind we develop a total person from the inside outs.

Workshops:

* We create specially tailored workshops for community groups, schools, colleges and universities, and performing arts companies. These sessions are excellent for small groups and huge assemblies for Black History Month celebrations. Workshops are conducted with live music and detailed exploration of talents.           

We meet your group’s needs, and can serve a variety of  group sizes, i.e., 15-35, 36-50, 51-100, 100-249, 250-350, 351- 500, 501-1000. The fun ranges from KG to seniors, and people with disabilities inclusive. Workshops are interactive and students will learn by doing.

• History
• Singing
• Dancing
• Drumming
• Cultural context
• Video documentaries

This workshop is great for…

• Conferences
• Themed anniversaries
• African cultural studies
• Black awareness and heritage
• Raising student and school morale
• World music and dance curriculum
• Harmony and community among students
• Contemporary dance experiments in studios

       HISTORY OF UDT: Unity Drum Theater was formed late in 2007 when it was first known as the Peace Academy Drumming and Dancing Group. The founder, Charles Richardson started this group in his second year of senior secondary school. However after only four months the group was on the verge of collapse due to financial constraints for the purchase of drums and other equipment as it has already been mentioned. Despite these initial set-backs Richardson kept his vision alive, continuing to walk the path he felt was laid before him.

As Unity Drum Theater grew, it came not only to welcome adults and young people, supporting them in being re-energized through immersion in their traditional cultural practices, but needy young children were also welcomed not only for drumming/dancing but also being taught traditional arts and crafts.(batik, tie and dye, paintings, beads). Unity Drum Theater not only energizes and reawakens a CAN DO attitude in young people, but gives needy children tools for being able to earn an income for themselves and their families. Unity Drum Theater has changed the life of so many people and many people have found new strength and inspiration for their lives through the African music, dance and drama.

BACKGROUND OF MEMBER
UNITY DRUM THEATER is a very energetic music, dance and drama group open to all without any religious, political and country affiliations.

   VISION 
The ultimate vision of the group is to bring dedicated and committed people who are ready to lift the band of African music, dance and drama to the world as one family.

    MISSION
We encourage our members to live out their full potential and become fully literate and productive.
We provide the skills to cope in the fast moving modern world.
We create awareness of the resources and talents of the members.

THE BASE SET UP:

*The group by itself had been able to buy most of the traditional musical instruments needed.

* The group had made its costumes for performance.

* Has a very good place and ground for rehearsals.

* By the groups own means we had been able to organize numerous of program and uniting many performing groups in Cape Coast.

* In 2008, this group was part of the service National Ntsi Hua University “NTHU” (student from Taiwan) did in Ghana. We have been helping and entertaining them for their works successes of their projects held in Ghana.

* In 2010 ending to 2011 beginning this group's name was mentioned in WE-MAGAZINE when the founder of this group wrote an article in this magazine.

* Moreover, in 2011, due to the relationship between the school (NTHU) and UDT, the leader Charles Richardson was invited to Taiwan in the name of the group for an exchange program.

* Due to our professionalism skill we edge to maintain, this group is affiliated with some local and international performing art groups such as the Center for National Culture (Ghana), African Footprint International (Ghana and Denmark), Panafricana (Taiwan) and by this affiliation  some of our members are called upon by our affiliated groups to tour with them internationally and locally.

*On the 5^th December 2013, the group UDT was being first group to hold a program called Honour Them Alive to honour two old legends of traditional music and dance in Cape Coast. (Okyerema Kofi Badu and Odomankuma Kwamina Pra)

*This group support orphans and needy children and making sure they are sustained and developed in education and in trained skills.

*We are on a process of purchasing a fourteen Acres of land to start our project named Unity Drum Theater Institute (UDTI).