creating transformative experiences for learning disabled young people creating transformative experiences for learning disabled young people
“It was magical to see how the pupils engaged with the show. The staff are so highly skilled and adjusted to every students’ needs”. Antonia Peters, Lakeside School.
Moon Song tells the story of Megan who falls asleep dreams of going to the moon where she encounters silvery creatures, flying saucers and shooting stars. Welcomed into the performance with relaxing music, audience members are invited to join Megan on a space-themed adventure.
This enchanting, intimate production is 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 Bamboozle’s calm approach, incorporating invitation and interaction, this sensory show caters for groups of six autistic children along with their accompanying adults.
Week 1: 11th – 14th March 2025
Week 2: 18th – 21st March 2025
Week 3: 25th – 28th March 2025
Week 4: 1st – 4th April 2025
Week 5: 8th – 11th April 2025
Moon Song has toured to UK schools and theatres and toured internationally to 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 can accommodate smaller group sizes of four audience members to enable a 1:1 ratio with our team of four performers. This is particularly suitable for more dynamic learners who will benefit from 1:1 support.
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.
“Fantastic! Our students find everyday a challenge, often needing constant direction and support to keep themselves and others safe. Your performances allow our students freedom to be themselves and for us to observe them in a place they can connect and understand”. Alex Sawyer, Yeoman Park School.
“Very moving – it was incredible to see the actors interact with the children and the time that was taken to give attention to each child individually. It really felt like a safe space was created where the children could join in and express themselves”. Nosheen Rara, Phoenix Primary and Secondary 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.
Recommended age range: 6 – 14 years
Cost: £1425+VAT. Find out about methods of funding for your school here.
If you any queries, please get in touch with our Tours Co-ordinator India at india@bamboozletheatre.co.uk.
Watch our short film about the show
Watch our longer film (20 minutes) with commentary from Artistic Director, Christopher Davies.
Register your interest in booking by filling in our Expression of Interest Form.
The River is Bamboozle’s newest show for students who might be described as having profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD).
Join us on a journey from the river’s source in the mountains as it flows downstream. Along the way you will encounter the river’s lively residents from an energetic salmon swimming against the current, a stately heron in her nest, a playful otter, dragonflies emerging from under the surface, and perhaps even spot an elusive Kingfisher!
You’ll meet a water goddess who brings mystical otherworldly music to the ferryman at work in his boat. A storyteller weaves together these moments along the rivers journey towards the ocean.
The show features an array of textures, from rippling silks to grassy bull rushes. Reflected light and water play at the start of the show conjure up the river’s source.
You will experience a variety of live music; instruments with tactile vibrations, alongside pre-recorded sound which create layers of atmosphere. Songs and sounds in the show range from evoking a jaunty playfulness on the surface to the strange eeriness of the under-water world.
The River is an intimate show for just 6 children and is specifically designed for children who might be described as having profound and multiple learning disabilities, along with their family groups or teachers and support staff.
Performances are 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 needs.
“The most beautiful sensory spectacle! Everything from the music, puppetry and scenery was completely captivating and spellbinding. Watching our pupils immersed in the experience and the joy in their faces was utterly magical. It met all the sensory needs of our pupils with PMLD, I only wished it could have lasted another hour!” Hannah O-Mara, Birch Wood School
These shows are particularly suitable for children who use a wheelchair.
We’re able to provide up to 4 x 40 minute performances throughout the school day. Each show for a maximum group of 6 children.
Fee: £1265+VAT
Floor space required: 11m x 6m x 3m high minimum. Bamboozle’s requires exclusive use of the space for the duration of our visit.
Recommended age range: 6 – 14 years.
Our productions designed for disabled audiences with complex needs have often been enjoyed by older teenagers and young adults, and may be suitable for some younger audience members. We can look at catering for these different age ranges by prior arrangement.
If you would like a show that has been specifically designed to cater for the needs of autistic children, we are developing a new production for February 2025. Please email jade@bamboozletheatre.co.uk to register you interest and find out more.
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
Join Betty, Doris and Arthur as they explore the textures, smells and tastes of their World War II allotment. You’ll be visited by a mischievous mole and will escape to a magical and relaxing forest, where you’ll encounter bees buzzing around their hives.
Made especially for young audiences described as having profound and multiple learning disabilities, this multi sensory show creates a welcoming and enchanting world with music, puppetry and lots of invitations to take part in immersive interaction.
Bamboozle are delighted to be touring this especially adapted show, which ensures that individual attention is given to every audience member. The production has been carefully designed to fully accommodate social distancing and make sure that all interactive elements are delivered in a Covid-safe way.
“A magical, relaxing experience” Andrea, parent
“A lovely experience to bring us together in such strange times. Safe, inclusive and such a pleasure” Sam, parent
“Ingenious, refreshing, uplifting” Kate, parent
Running time 45-55 mins
Age recommendation: We usually recommend an age range of 6 to 14 years for the show, though it has often been enjoyed by older teenagers and young adults and may be suitable for some younger audience members, we think families are best able to judge this themselves.
Watch this space for the announcement of further dates.
Down to Earth Outdoor – Belgrave Hall – Guide and FAQs
Down to Earth Companion Pack for Teachers and Support Staff
“Amazing and beautifully paced. Actors gave students enough time to process and interact in their own ways. Very inclusive. It was beautiful to see how students enjoyed it. Thank you!”. Alex, Brookfields School
In a land where dragons are more than myths, we meet Makara – a girl who is different – a girl who has wings. Makara wants to learn how to fly.
A dragon’s egg – the first in a thousand years – is about to hatch. It is Makara’s destiny to return the young dragon to where it belongs. The mountains are calling. The mountain dragon is waiting.
Makara and the Mountain Dragon is Bamboozle’s newest production designed for young audiences who might be described as having profound and multiple learning disabilities, and toured to UK schools in December 2019 and January 2020. The development of the show was supported by the Garfield Weston Foundation and Arts Council England.
Makara and the Mountain Dragon is an intimate show for just 6 children and is specifically designed for children who might be described as having profound and multiple learning disabilities, along with their family groups or teachers and support staff.
Performances are 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 needs.
The show is particularly suitable for children who use a wheelchair.
“The most beautiful sensory spectacle! Everything from the music, puppetry and scenery was completely captivating and spellbinding. Watching our pupils immersed in the experience and the joy in their faces was utterly magical. It met all the sensory needs of our pupils with PMLD, I only wished it could have lasted another hour!” Hannah O-Mara, Birch Wood School
“A fantastic experience for both staff and pupils! All pupils were appropriately engaged and their needs had been thought about and catered for. Some pupils who are very difficult to engage usually, chose to engage with the specialist props/musical elements. Wonderful to see how the performance was adapted dependent on needs of children with very complex needs. An emotional experience for staff – we were blown away! Thank you!” Lucy Naylor, Sunningdale School
The production uses a number of sensory elements, including aromas of essential oils (these are not applied directly to the skin) and the scent of Lapsang Souchong tea. The production also includes moments of loud music.
Recommended age range: 6 – 14 years
Watch a short film about the show
See an example programme for the show
Listen to an example audio programme
Makara and the Mountain Dragon Companion Pack for Teachers and Support Staff
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