creating possibilities for disabled children creating possibilities for disabled children
‘‘It was a magical, theatrical, atmospheric delight. Transporting our young people to a magical island, the interaction between actors and students created a unique shared experience.” Joni McAuliffe, The Avenue School
Inspired by Shakespeare’s Tempest, Storm tells the story of the magician Prospero, his apprentice Ariel and the creature Caliban.
Designed for autistic children and young people, this enchanting, intimate production has been carefully designed to put audience members at ease throughout, giving them space and time to move freely and experience the show in their own way.
Using elements of The Tempest and a limited amount of Shakespeare’s language, Storm tells a dramatic story of the sea, ships, islands and magic. Audience members will be welcomed into the performance space with relaxing music and during the performance will be invited to interact with the actors and the setting.
Storm has toured UK schools, featured at the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival, and toured to Shanghai and Egypt. A Chinese version of the show has been created in partnership with Shanghai Children’s Art Theatre.
These performances are intimate shows for a maximum group size of 6 children accompanied by their teachers, carers, or family group.
In school settings, we accommodate smaller group sizes of four audience members to enable a 1:1 ratio with our team of four performers.
Maintaining small audiences enables our team to provide a high level of focussed attention and the opportunity for intensive interaction. Each moment will be tailored to each child’s needs by a team of Bamboozle performers who are highly experienced in adapting to, and interacting with, children and young people who have a variety of complex and differing needs.
“I am speechless. The performance excelled all expectations. It was fantastic. Never before have I watched a show that is so inclusive and adaptable to all needs. The intensive interaction applied was extremely inspiring”. Imogen Pearce, Radlett Lodge School
“Wow, it was breath-taking. A real privilege to watch our students so engaged and present in your show. To see their responses and even communicating with words they heard within the performance was magical. Thank you”. Aimee Robinson, Priory Woods School
“I couldn’t hope for a better, more sensitive, engaging performance. Fully immersive, totally exciting!!’’ Ian Bearcroft, Oakleigh School
This show can be adapted for individual sensory sensitivities by informing our team of any particular sensitivities ahead of performances. The show includes moments of loud acoustic music, loud voices and interactive props.
Cost: TBC.
Recommended age range: 6 – 14 years.
Floor space required: 10m x 7m x 3.5m high minimum. We require exclusive use of the space for the duration of our visit.
Watch a short film about the show in a school setting
A short film of Storm at Hakawy International Arts festival for Children
The Backyard: The Wildings
“The Wildings has been created for autistic children & young people. It is a beautifully inclusive natural space, where the whole family can relax, explore and express themselves in an environment that is playful, and free from judgement or expectation.” – Dawn Bowden, Bamboozle Artist
The Wildings is as experience which we developed at The Bamboozle Backyard – a wildlife plot on an allotment site in Leicester. It is an oasis of calm and creativity waiting to be explored and brought to life during The Wildings sessions. The Wildings are sessions led by Bamboozle artists where the family can escape the busyness and stresses of modern life and take a breath.
“Instant relaxation! Anxiety ebbs away rapidly. The magic of the location, and the wonderful people involved are a magical combination. Like walking into a daydream!” Vicky Davies, parent.
During these sessions, you and your child will be encouraged to relax and recharge alongside the artists, who will skilfully provide a safe and engaging space to explore the natural elements within the site.
Each session will be organic in the way it develops and will be age-appropriate and child-led. The artists will pretend to be quirky characters with whom the children can choose to engage with, and explore ideas and activities. They can make potions, float stones or make mud soup!
The children can, if they choose to, follow their own ideas within a playful, fun environment.
This experience has recently been adapted for Festival settings and Forest School environments. If you’d like to enquire about bringing The Wildings to your outdoor space, please email info@bamboozletheatre.co.uk.
We continue to run FREE Wildings sessions for families at our Bamboozle Backyard in Leicester during certain school holidays.
Would you like to get a postcard from the Backyard?
During the Winter months when we aren’t able to run our Backyard sessions in person, we’re sending a bit of Backyard to your home!
>> Join our Hibernation Series activities here.
Thank you to our funders!
The Might Creatives’ Creative Community Fund
Originally created with investment from The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust
Re-Wilding Characters you might meet
Aurora Sue Mac George Little Wing
Aurora Dawn Tayosong Grace
The audience gathers. The music swells. The mist swirls. Anticipation. Then arriving in the playground the full-grown Firebird. Its five-metre wingspan hovers above the audience, circling, swooping and diving.
Based on the myths and legends of the Phoenix, this spectacular new production promises to bring an unforgettable experience into your school grounds or outdoor space. If you’d like to arrange a visit full of unique Bamboozle puppetry, comic characters and live music – including a chicken jazz band! – please get in touch.
Our Firebird tour has come to an end for 2022, however the show is available for one-off or multiple bookings. Please email info@bamboozletheatre.co.uk for further details.
Watch our Firebird trailer:
Which of my students will the show be suitable for and how many can access it?
Who is it suitable for? This show is devised for a wide range of learning-disabled students, including those sometimes described as SLD, MLD and some students on the autistic spectrum. While it is not specifically designed for those described as PMLD there will be Bamboozle’s customary mix of sensory possibilities, this will be more suitable for PMLD students who respond to sound, as there will be a lot of live and recorded music.
Who is it not suitable for? We will be working within Covid restriction guidance, so will not be able to offer close-up interactions in person. This will limit the possibilities for students described as PMLD who are visually impaired, though, as above, it will suit those who respond to sound. It is not suitable for those on the Autistic Spectrum who need to be able to move around freely nor for those with the sort of challenging behaviour that makes it difficult to guarantee calm observance of boundaries. This is because the actors will need to remain socially distanced from the audience. In addition: The Firebird and other puppets/props cannot be touched in the way Bamboozle shows normally accommodate for both Covid secure reasons and to avoid any unintentional damage.
How many can experience it? The show is designed to play to four class bubbles of any size. The climax of the production takes place outdoors, with all four class bubbles watching at the same time, so there must be a suitable outdoor space, large enough for you to safely distance the class bubbles.
What happens if it rains?
The performance will go ahead unless the Bamboozle team judge the weather to be so severe that it poses a safety risk. Therefore the school will need to ensure pupils have warm clothing, wet weather gear and umbrellas available to cope with the British summer! If you have a covered outdoor area, then we can also work with you to see how we could stage the performance such that the audience can stand under cover if the rains come.
This sounds great, what else do I need to know?
This experience is a unique one and will be different in each school, we will need to work closely with you to plan where and when each part of the action will unfold, please read The Firebird in your School to understand more about how the experience is likely to work across a school day.
More information
Download the Firebird – Companion Pack for Teachers Summer 2022
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