About 150 young performers yesterday took their first steps on an adventure that will see them travel to various Asian cities, hunt down a witch and retrieve the stolen dreams of children - all in a make-believe world, of course.
The ensemble, made up of actors, singers, dancers, musicians and even martial artists between the ages of five and 18, will be the stars of this year's ChildAid charity concert.
Titled An Amazing, Awesome Asian Adventure, the concert - which is into its 13th year - will be put together by singer-songwriter Dick Lee.
Yesterday, this year's cast and crew got together for the first time for a tour of the Resorts World Theatre at Resorts World Sentosa, which will host the Nov 24-25 extravaganza.
It is the first time Mr Lee is taking on the role of the concert's creative director.
"I always want to do things that encourage and inspire the next generation," said the 60-year-old.
Unlike previous ChildAid concerts which comprised individual performances from various talents, this year's concert is united by a narrative linking each segment of the show before culminating in a message for children.
The concert depicts the story of four children on a quest through various Asian countries. The countries are represented by musical performances featuring songs from each country.
For example, the Korea and China segments will feature Korean and Chinese pop songs respectively.
Eight-year-old Gisele Chiam will be playing one of the four lead roles. She said that she was "really happy" that she was selected to play the role and that all her efforts were worth it.
Natanya Tan, 12, finds the concert's theme very interesting as it allows her to understand the cultures and beliefs of the different Asian countries.
Singapore-born, Melbourne-based teenage singer Natalie Ong, who was one of the finalists on The X Factor Australia last year, would also be singing at the concert as a guest performer. In the coming months, the performers will also be going on an epic journey offstage - when they will be busy with rehearsals before opening night in November.
The ChildAid concert is jointly organised by The Straits Times (ST) and Business Times (BT), and benefits ST's School Pocket Money Fund and BT's Budding Artists Fund.
The funds respectively give an allowance to children from low-income families and provide financially disadvantaged children opportunities to explore the arts.
To date, sponsors such as Citibank and United Overseas Bank have pledged about a million dollars to the concert.
Tickets will go on sale to the public in October.
