The River

Next touring December 2024 – January 2025

Register your interest in booking by filling in our Expression of Interest Form.

About the show:

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.

About Bamboozle’s shows for disabled audiences with complex needs:

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

What you need to know:

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.

Suitable for