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New Documentary Tells The Story Of A Philadelphia-Born Musical That's Changed The Hearts And Minds Of Thousands Of Students

By Molly Daly

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A new documentary premiering Tuesday night tells the story of how a musical bout has served as a bridge for students at two Philadelphia schools, one of them serving the disabled.

KYW's Molly Daly reports the crowd-funded film will be shown as part of the Filmadelphia at the Roxy series.

Henry Nevison's "On the Other Side of the Fence" is a celebration of the musical of the same name, the brainchild of music therapist Andrea Green, intended to foster acceptance and tolerance. It's been performed annually for 30 years by students from Germantown Friends and the HMS School for Children with Cerebral Palsy.

"If you could take a group of kids that can't walk, that can hardly talk, with a group of kids that are fully functional, and find a way for those to grow together and have a relationship, and create something together that everybody loves to watch, that's pretty cool," Nevison said.

Nevison hopes his documentary will help extend the musical's reach beyond schools and around the world, where divisions run deep, and understanding is sorely needed.

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