Show Category: Past

How to Be Held: songs of self-soothing

A textured, billowing cream tent canopy hangs overhead. Plants reach up from underneath, their leafy shadows dappling the material. A dreamy, faded close-up of a person’s mouth, near to another person’s ear, is just visible, blended into the tent roof.

How to Be Held: songs of self-soothing was mounted by Rhiannon Armstrong in the set of When the World Turns as part of Liberty Festival 2025.

About How to Be Held: songs of self-soothing

How to Be Held: songs of self-soothing is an immersive, multi-sensory sound installation within a living landscape of over 300 plants, atmospheric light and surround-sound. Settle on cushions and beanbags, feel as the world fades from day to night and back again, and be held by a sound world that breathes with you.

A textured, billowing cream tent canopy hangs overhead. Plants reach up from underneath, their leafy shadows dappling the material. A dreamy, faded close-up of a person’s mouth, near to another person’s ear, is just visible, blended into the tent roof.
Image credit: Blended composition of How to Hold, Behold and Be Held, taken by Julia Bauer, and When the World Turns, taken by Suzi Corker.

Choral harmonies, synth textures, natural soundscapes, and looped melodies flow through a 360-degree sonic environment. Each track responds to a real self-soothing hook, lyric or riff offered anonymously by the public, and re-imagined by artists across musical styles. Come and go as you like, or stay for the full three-hour cycle, which repeats like a lullaby or a phrase we hum to get ourselves through tough times.

Songs of self-soothing is a work-in-progress by nature: always evolving, always responsive to its surroundings. Originally commissioned by Wellcome Collection as a digital experience during the Covid-19 lockdowns, Liberty Festival marks the first time it can be experienced in person, as a site-specific installation within the set of When the World Turns, by the director of the show’s UK tour.

Taking Songs of self-soothing into the rustling, breathing environment created by Oily Cart (UK) and Polyglot Theatre (AUS) brings two worlds together and delves into chiming themes of care, reciprocity and eco-systems.


  • Access Information

    How to Be Held: Songs of self-soothing happens in a relaxed environment. There’s no ‘performance’ that can be interrupted, or a specific performance area – this is a relaxed environment for people to enter into. You can come and go, move around and make noise, as you need.

    Seating can be adjusted according to what works best for you.

    There will be fidget toys and ear defenders available.

    There are never any moments of complete darkness.
    There are a small number of moments with pulsing lights (not strobe).
    There are a couple of moments with the sound of thunder.

  • Show Credits

    Lead Artist and Sound Designer: Rhiannon Armstrong
    Composers: Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian, Cutter/Nash, dmf (Sop), Katy Rose Bennett, Rhiannon Armstrong.
    Lighting Design: Marty Langthorne
    Multi Channel Programmer: PJ Davy
    Image: Image is a blended composition: How to Hold, Behold and Be Held, taken by Julia Bauer, and When the World Turns, taken by Suzi Corker.

    How to Be Held: songs of self-soothing is being mounted in the set of When the World Turns which was created by designers Andrea Carr and Dr Tanja Beer, and uses some of the natural sounds from the show which were recorded by Mike Challis and designed by Max Reinhardt.

    When the World Turns is a collaboration across time and distance between Oily Cart (UK) and Polyglot Theatre (AUS). Oily Cart’s version of the show, made for and with disabled children of all ages who experience complex and multiple barriers to access (often described as having PMLD), is on as part of Liberty Festival.

A World Beneath Us

Greta is sitting in her wheelchair on the bank of a stream, under a canopy of trees. She is a young white woman with brown hair and she is wearing a fluffy black jacket and brown velvety trousers. Realistic-looking papier-mâché mushrooms are attached to the top of her wheelchair.

A World Beneath Us was an At Home sensory show sent in the post. It was experienced by families across the country during Summer 2024, and was theirs to keep forever.

About A World Beneath Us

There’s an invisible world beneath your feet.  

Out of sight, beneath the forest floor, an underground network connects the natural world. Mycelium – the name for these interconnected threads – is essential to the wellbeing of the soil and plants around it. Though mycelium may be hidden, they are still powerful. They may be small, but they’re still mighty.  

A World Beneath Us unearths these magical, natural networks to explore the hidden world in the heart of each home. This sensory experience reflects and celebrates each family as its own ecosystem. Just by being, each person plays an important part in their network. We might not always see these connections from the outside, at times they might feel small, but the impact of our roots runs deep.  

A World Beneath Us is a sensory theatrical experience sent in the post. Including a sensory film and sensory boxes, it has been designed for disabled children who experience the most barriers to accessing shows in theatre venues and their families to enjoy together at home.   

Inspired by When the World Turns, a collaboration between Oily Cart (UK) and Polyglot Theatre (AUS)

Great Big Tiny World

A mother sits on the floor, supporting a baby to sit on a chair next to her. They are both looking up at a speaker above them with wonder. Behind them are wooden crates filled with plants.
Great Big Tiny World Trailer

Great Big Tiny World toured venues across the UK throughout 2025, including Imagine Festival at Southbank Centre, Edinburgh International Children’s Festival, and Ripple Early Years Arts Festival.


About Great Big Tiny World

We’re growing a new world…

Welcome to this great, big, tiny world. It may be very old, but for us it’s brand new.

Settle in amongst hundreds of real plants, to watch, hear and feel the world come to life all around you. Here we’re all a connected ecosystem, where the magic happens somewhere between us.

Filled with beautiful sounds, scents, music, shadows and sensory objects, even the tiniest things play an important part. The world is different, now you are here.

Created by internationally acclaimed sensory theatre company Oily Cart, especially for babies aged 0-12 months and their adults.

“an exceptional, joyfully sensory experience for babies” ★★★★★ Everything Theatre

Inspired by When the World Turns, a collaboration between Oily Cart (UK) and Polyglot Theatre (AUS)


FAQs

  • Who is the target audience of Great Big Tiny World? Can my baby see the show?

    Great Big Tiny World has been created for and with babies aged 0-12 months and their adults.

  • How long is the show? 

    The show is 45 minutes long  

  • Are there any preparation resources, like a social story / visual guide?  

    Yes, there’s an Audience Booklet that includes a social story. You can view the Audience Booklet near the bottom of this webpage, and you will also be given a copy on the day of the performance. We will also have Baby book that you can take home to continue and experience the Great Big Tiny World experience. While travelling to the UK, stay online effortlessly with Esimpilot — perfect for navigating show details and staying connected.

     

  • Is this a relaxed show?  

    Great Big Tiny World is a relaxed show. This means it is okay to make noise, move around, go out and come back in with no need for explanation.

    There will be a Quiet Space in each venue. 

  • Can I feed my baby during the show? 

    Yes, you can breastfeed or bottle feed your baby during the show.

  • What if I need to change my baby during the show?

    iIf your baby needs changing, you can use the changing table just outside the space.

  • Are there any allergens in this show? 

    None of the 14 food allergens are used in this show. All of the plants present in the set are non-toxic and can be touched. Finally, the scented spray bottles and weighted gloves used during the performance use the following essential oils: 

    • Juniper & vetiver essential oil spray
    • Lemon verbena, kashmir rose and lavender essence in weighted gloves
    • Organic lavender in sleep pillows

    If you have any questions, please contact access@oilycart.org.uk  g

  • We have not been to the theatre before. What if my baby doesn’t like it?

    This show is a perfect introduction to the theatre for babies who haven’t been before. The low audience numbers mean the show is tailored to each baby and is responsive to their reactions; it is a very flexible environment. The show has been made for and with babies aged 0-12 months (including being co-directed with a baby!). It has been created around their interests and what they find engaging, and has a very sensory approach.

    We have resources like the Audience Booklet that you (and your baby) can look through if you’d like to in advance so you know what to expect. During the performance, you and your baby can join in however you like, whether that’s joining in or sitting back.

  • I’ve seen this is an interactive show. Do I have to join in?  

    This show responds to audience members individually, so you will not have to touch, interact with, or do anything you or your baby does not want to. Our cast and crew are trained to listen, giving you space or interacting with you. You and your baby can change your mind throughout the performance.   

    You can leave and return at any point in the performance, for any reason. Our stage managers are around to help you with this.   

  • Can I get in touch with anyone at Oily Cart if I have a question about Great Big Tiny World?

    Absolutely. You can contact our Access and Wellbeing Officer, Maka. Email access@oilycart.org.uk or Whatsapp 07955 678174 

Space to Be: Children’s Hospice Residencies

A mum and daughter lie down looking up. There is green gauze material just visible in the background suggesting they are in a tent-like structure. A night light projects dotted coloured lights onto their heads.

Space to Be: Children’s Hospice Residencies was a new version of our At Home show to Space to Be be sent into hospices, created in consultation with Noah’s Ark Hospice.

About Space to Be: Children’s Hospice Residencies


Once upon a time, there was you and me… 

Oily Cart’s Space to Be is a mini sensory show made especially for children’s hospices. The experience, designed for families to do privately, or with a play specialist, links together different creative sensory activities using hand-crafted objects and a starry soundtrack. Families are encouraged to let their hands lead the way to discover different textures and open up tiny universes. Space to Be explores each family’s unique story and how we are all connected like a constellation of stars in the universe.

This award winning project was created for and with disabled children (aged 0-18) who have the most barriers to access, to share with their families. It first toured throughout the pandemic to the homes of shielding families across the UK, receiving overwhelmingly glowing feedback.

The highly adaptable experience can be tailored to different family groups, and also used by staff to support their wellbeing. It can take place flexibly in communal rooms or at bedside.

Space to Be’s power lies in its ability to connect and include the whole family, resonating with each individual regardless of their age or way of being in the world.

This new version has been created in consultation with Noah’s Ark Hospice.


Gallery

A mum and daughter lie down looking up. There is green gauze material just visible in the background suggesting they are in a tent-like structure. A night light projects dotted coloured lights onto their heads. Adult and child arms raised in the air, holding hands. Behind the hands is green-blue gauze material with light shining through it. A Black man shines his wrist torch onto a piece of shiny material with mirror triangles. This causes colourful light patterns on the wall behind. Photo from Space to Be, credit Suzi Corker

Sound Symphony At Home

Teenage boy stands outside. He wears a white coat and tails with a red bow tie. He holds his arms wide, with a conductor's baton in his left hand. Behind him are trees with yellow autumnal leaves.

Sound Symphony At Home was a sensory film version of our live show, Sound Symphony. It was experienced by families across the country, including as part of the Spark Arts Festival 2023. Sound Symphony At Home was shortlisted in the Digital Inclusion category of the 2023 Digital Culture Awards, celebrating innovative use of digital technology to improve access to creativity and culture for diverse and representative audiences.

About Sound Symphony At Home

An Oily Cart and Independent Arts Project Co-production

Sound Symphony is a sensory show in a box, sent to you through the post.

It’s been designed for your whole family to enjoy together in the comfort of your home. This unique sensory package allows you to conduct your own Sound Symphony! Celebrating wonderful sounds made by instruments and objects, this mini show is perfect for all sound seekers.

As part of this At Home sensory package you will receive:

– A magical sensory box filled with sounds, textures & smells for families to unpack, play and create with together at home.

– A link to a musical sensory film to inspire your activities

– An invitation to an online live celebration event to share and celebrate the music we have made

– A chance to make music on the Sound Symphony Interactive Website

Sound Symphony is an interactive sensory At Home experience made for and with Autistic young people. It is a place where all sounds are welcome and where everyone is positively encouraged to make noise and music their own way.

The Lost Feather

Smiling performer in brightly coloured costume holds a purple parrot puppet with outstretched wings over the heads of children in the audience. The children raise their arms to feel the parrot's wings. Behind the performer is a blue and red wooden cart with yellow wheels. The performance is outside, with trees all around.

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The Lost Feather toured arts venues, schools, libraries, hospitals, and festivals all over the UK in Summer 2023.

About The Lost Feather: A Sensory Storytelling Adventure

The magical, musical, sensory Cart is wheeling its way across the UK, delivering Oily Cart’s unique brand of multi-sensory mayhem, designed for all children, especially for disabled children and their families.

In this interactive, accessible storytelling session, everyone is part of the action! All together, you will open up the Cart – bursting with colours, textures, music and puppets – to discover the story of ‘The Lost Feather’.

This storytelling session features live music and sensory play. The tone is fast, upbeat and noisy. It lasts about 45minutes and has no interval. It’s a relaxed environment where children are able to move around and make noise, in fact it’s encouraged!

Smiling performer in brightly coloured costume holds purple parrot puppet with outstretched wings over the heads of children in the audience. The children raise their arms to feel the parrot's wings. Behind the performer is a blue and red wooden cart with yellow wheels. The performance is outside, with trees all around.
Smiling performer holding an instrument. He is wearing a green textured shawl and a hat with leaves all over it. Behind him are trees.
Child audience member hold string of colourful ribbons in the air. Other audience members holding percussion instruments surround them. Trees are behind them.
Photos by Suzi Corker

Behind the Scenes

You can find out more about the creation of The Lost Feather in this interview with Associate Director, Mark – Oily Cart’s longest-serving creative and performer.

You can also hear from the team about their favourite moments on tour.

When the World Turns

A young woman with short brown hair sitting in her wheelchair. A middle aged woman with short grey hair and glasses sits next to her. They are inside the When the World Turns performance space, with a billowing tent overhead and surrounded with wooden crates and plants all around. There is atmospheric low lighting, illuminating their faces with a golden glow and casting shadows of the plant leaves. Hanging just above them is a metal bin lid.
When the World Turns Trailer

When the World Turns toured venues across the UK throughout 2025, including Imagine Festival at Southbank Centre and Edinburgh International Children’s Festival.

About When the World Turns

A collaboration between Oily Cart (UK) and Polyglot Theatre (AUS)

When we are still, we can feel the world turning…

Join us on an adventure, where your senses lead the way. You will become part of a fantastical world where animals, plants and objects are brought to life all around you. Here you can fully be yourself. Here, you are an important part of the eco-system.

This immersive, sensory performance will take you into the heart of a living landscape, featuring surround-sound, singing, lights, shadows, scents, water, puppetry and over 300 plants. When the World Turns playfully explores our connection with each other and the world around us.

When the World Turns is an award-winning, accessible show from the pioneers of Sensory Theatre, Oily Cart. You can expect small audience numbers to allow for lots of up-close sensory moments, a gentle pace, and plenty of breathing space for processing. The show has been expertly crafted for and with disabled children of all ages who experience complex and multiple barriers to access (often described as having PMLD). 

“a gem of an experience”★★★★ The Scotsman

Logos for Fantastic For Families Awards Finalist, Fringe Theatre Awards Special Award, Offies Assessors’ Choice, and Children & Young People Now Awards 2025 Finalist

Oily Cart and Polyglot logos

  • FAQs

    Who is the target audience of When the World Turns? Can my young person see the show?

    When the World Turns has been created for and with disabled children of all ages who experience complex and multiple barriers to access (often described as having PMLD.) 

    It is a gentle, atmospheric show, with lots of up-close sensory interaction. It deliberately leaves space for slower processing times and for ‘being’ rather than doing. 

    Because of the calm energy and slower pace, we do not recommend When the World Turns for young people who need to move around a lot and/or prefer a more active sensory experience. 

    What is the age range? 

    When the World Turns has been designed for and with disabled children and young people aged 0-25 years. 

    How long is the show? 

    The show is 1 hour long.  

    Are there any preparation resources, like a social story / visual guide?  

    Yes, there’s an Audience Booklet that includes a social story. You can view the Audience Booklet here, and you will also be given a copy on the day of the performance. We will also have Touch Maps: textured, textile maps that guide you through each section of the show.  

    Is this a relaxed show?  

    When the World Turns is a relaxed show. This means it is okay to make noise, move around, go out and come back in with no need for explanation.  

    There will be a basket of fidget toys in each show, and ear defenders are available if you need them.  

    There will be a Quiet Space in each venue. 

    Are there any allergens in this show?  

    None of the 14 food allergens are used in this show. All of the plants present in the set are non-toxic and can be touched. Finally, the scented spray bottles and weighted gloves used during the performance use the following essential oils: 

    • Juniper & vetiver essential oil spray
    • Lemon verbena, kashmir rose and lavender essence in weighted gloves 

    If you have any questions, please contact access@oilycart.org.uk  

    We have not been to the theatre before. What if my young person doesn’t like it? 

    This show is a perfect introduction to the theatre for young people who haven’t been before. The low audience numbers mean the show is tailored to each person and responsive to how they react; it is a very flexible environment. The show has been made for and with disabled young people who experience barriers to accessing theatre. It has been created around their interests and what they find engaging, and uses a very sensory approach.

    We have resources that you can show your young person before you come so they know what to expect. During the session, your child can join in however  they like, whether that’s joining in lots or sitting back and watching. It’s  okay to go out and come back in if you need to. 

    I’ve seen this is an interactive show. Do I have to join in?  

    This show responds to audience members individually, so you will not have to touch, interact with, or do anything you or your young person does not want to. Our cast and crew are trained to listen, giving you space or interacting with you.  Your young person and you can change your mind throughout the performance.   

    You can leave and return at any point in the performance, for any reason. Our stage managers are around to help you with this.   

    What if we’re worried about how we will get to the show?

    If you have any concerns about your transport route or the nearest Changing Places facilities, please contact     access@oilycart.org.uk and we will help you. 

    Is there is a Changing Places toilet nearby?   

    We have included where the nearest Changing Places toilet is for each venue on our show page. Please check the Tour Dates section of www.oilycart.org.uk/shows/when-the-world-turns/ 

    Can I get in touch with anyone at Oily Cart if I have a question about When the World Turns?  

    Absolutely. You can contact our Access and Wellbeing Officer, Maka. Email access@oilycart.org.uk or Whatsapp 07955 678174 

     

  • Behind-the-Scenes

    Read our two part blog series on the creation of the show:
    Part 1 How We Made When the World Turns: The Seed
    Part 2 How We Made When the World Turns: The Branches

     

  • Acknowledgments

    The UK version of When the World Turns has received support from Arts Council England, The Boshier-Hinton Foundation, Cockayne – Grants for the Arts: a donor advised fund held at The London Community Foundation, The National Lottery Community Fund, The Nichol Young Foundation, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, The Royal Victoria Hall Foundation, True Colours Trust, Wandsworth Council, funders that wish to remain anonymous and individual donors.

    When the World Turns funder logos: Arts Council England, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Wandsworth Council, Cockayne Foundation, The London Community Foundation, Royal Victoria Hall Foundation, The True Colours Trust

    When the World Turns, a collaboration between Polyglot Theatre (AUS) and Oily Cart (UK), was originally commissioned by Arts Centre Melbourne for major arts and disability festival Alter State 2022. The development and premiere was supported by the UK/Australia Season Patrons Board, the British Council and the Australian Government as part of the UK/Australia Season, with further support from the Cassandra Gantner Foundation, State Trustees Australia Foundation, the Jennifer Prescott Family Foundation, the Marian and E.H. Flack Trust, ArtPlay, Arts Council England and ecoDynamics.

    Logos for the funders and partners of the original development of When the World Turns

     

  • UK Credits – Venues Tour 2025

    UK Creative Team

    Director: Rhiannon Armstrong
    Original Co-directors: Ellie Griffiths and Sue Giles
    Designer and Eco-scenographer: Andrea Carr
    Original Design Concept: Dr Tanja Beer
    Composer and Musical Director: Max Reinhardt
    UK Performing & Devising Team: Nisha Anil, Kim Heron, Ed Yelland
    Sound Designers: Max Reinhardt (UK) and Steph O’Hara (AUS)
    Assistant Sound Designer / Multi Channel Programmer: PJ Davy
    Lighting Designer: Marty Langthorne
    Original Lighting Design Concept: Richard Vabre
    Movement Director: Genevieve Say
    Puppetry Director: Steve Tiplady
    Dramaturg: Naomi O’Kelly
    Musicians on soundtrack: Bruno Guastalla (cello & loutar), Lauren Spicely (violin), Max Reinhardt (keyboards), Jo-anne Cox (cello), Kyllah Dyer (cello)
    Plus samples of Rhodri Davies on harp from his album Dwa Dni
    Real sound recordings of birds, animals, insects, trees, leaves, undergrowth, wind, rain; including field recordings made by Mike Challis
    Soundtrack mixed and recorded by Max Reinhardt with recordings of the live musicians by Christopher Jarman, Nicholas O’Brien and Max

    UK Production Team

    Company Stage Manager: Eddie Latter (Jan – March); Laide Sonola (May – November)
    Technical Stage Manager: Laide Sonola (Jan – March); Rebekah Wild (May – June); Amirul Azmi (Sept – Nov)
    Production Manager and Company Stage Manager Cover: Beatrice Galloway (Sept – Nov)
    Crew: Amirul Azmi, Bea Galloway, Joshua Hill, Ben Standish, Brent Tan
    Set Construction: Tadeusz McCarthy Budzyhski
    Carpenters: Aubrey Dor and Alice Friend
    Costume and Textile Props Makers: Caroline Ip and Malgorzata Walasek
    Specialist Props / Set Items Maker: Eyal Edelman
    Touch Map and Puppet Maker: Amy Nicholson
    Murmuration Puppet Maker: Helen Ainsworth
    Assistant Maker for Touch Maps: Charlotte Ball
    Props and Shelters Maker: Paula Hopkins
    Aromatherapist: Stephen Smallwood

    For Oily Cart

    Artistic Director and Joint CEO: Ellie Griffiths
    Executive Director and Joint CEO: Zoë Lally
    Tour Producer: Alison Garratt
    Production Manager: Brent Tan
    Communications and Advocacy Officer: Flossie Waite
    Access and Wellbeing Officer: Maka Marambio de le Fuente
    Development Officer: Zhaolin Zhou
    Administrator: Romica Sharma
    Placement: Billie Antimony, Nuria Cano Lorente
    Graphic Design: Valerie Reid
    Photography: Suzi Corker and Roswitha Chesher
    Filmmaker: Paul Williams
    PR: Binita Walia, The Space inBetween

    With thanks to the staff and students of Beatrice Tate School and Stephen Hawking School.

    Thanks to everyone whose voices appear in When the World Turns: students from Linden Lodge School.

    Credits for the original concept created in Australia can be found below

  • UK Credits – Schools Tour 2023

    UK Creative Team

    Co-directors:     Ellie Griffiths and Sue Giles
    Designer and Eco-scenographer: Andrea Carr
    Original Design Concept: Dr Tanja Beer
    Composer and Musical Director: Max Reinhardt
    Sound Designers: Max Reinhardt (UK) and Steph O’Hara (AUS)
    Assistant Sound Designer / Multi Channel Programmer: PJ Davy
    Lighting Designer: Marty Langthorne
    Co-Lighting Designer: PJ Davy
    Original Lighting Design Concept: Richard Vabre
    Movement Director: Genevieve Say
    Puppetry Director: Steve Tiplady
    Dramaturg: Naomi O’Kelly
    UK Performing / Devising Team: Hannah Akhalu, Kim Heron, Ed Yelland
    Musicians playing on the soundtrack: Bruno Guastalla (cello and loutar), Lauren Spicely (violin), Max Reinhardt (keyboards)
    Plus samples of Rhodri Davies on harp from his album Dwa Dni
    Real sound recordings of birds, animals and insects including recordings by Mike Challis
    Soundtrack recorded by Max Reinhardt and Christopher Jarman

    UK Production Team

    Company Stage Manager: Beatrice Galloway
    Assistant Stage Manager: Ben Standish
    Set and Costume Maker: Elisabeth Sur
    Set Construction: Tadeusz McCarthy Budzyhski
    Specialist Props / Set Items Maker: Eyal Edelman
    Puppet Maker: Amy Nicholson
    Aromatherapist: Stephen Smallwood

    For Oily Cart

    Artistic Director: Ellie Griffiths
    Executive Director: Zoë Lally
    Tours Producer: Alison Garratt
    Communications and Advocacy Officer: Flossie Waite
    Access and Wellbeing Officer: Maka Marambio de la Fuente
    Interim Access and Wellbeing Officer: Georgia Carnaby
    Administrator: Isaiah James-Mitchell
    PR: Binita Walia, The Space inBetween

    Credits for the original concept created in Australia can be found below

  • Original Creative Team

    The UK version is based on an original concept created in Australia by the following creatives:

    Original Australian premiere:

    Co-directors: Sue Giles AM and Ellie Griffiths
    Eco Scenography: Dr Tanja Beer
    Sound Designers: Steph O’Hara (AUS) and Max Reinhardt (UK)
    Lighting Designer: Richard Vabre
    Dramaturgy: Kate Sulan and Arti Prashar
    Australian performing team: Clement Baade, Tirese Ballard, Lachlan MacLeod, Kuda Mapeza, David Pidd
    Production Manager: Hannah Murphy
    Stage Manager: Kaite Head
    Producers: Rainbow Sweeny (Polyglot) and Zoë Lally (Oily Cart)

    Original creative development teams

    Australia: Ashlee Hughes, Sylvie Meltzer, David Pidd, Leisa Prowd, Afsaneh Torabi, Jen Tran, Kate Sulan, Rawcus ensemble

    UK: Greta McMillan, Nwando Ebizie, Andrea Carr, Rhiannon Armstrong, Xavier Velastin, Emily Nicholl and Claire Willoughby.  Creative Advisor: Dr Jill Goodwin

    Schools and families who were part of the development process

    Australia: ArtPlay families, Coburg Special Development School, Glenroy Specialist School, Hume Valley School
    UK: Linden Lodge School, Smallwood School, Endeavour School, The Bowen family, the Li family, the Murphy family

    Art work by Greta McMillan was created during the research and development in the UK.

  • Selected Touring History

    International

    2025:
    Big Umbrella Festival, Lincoln Center, New York
    Edinburgh International Children’s Festival, Edinburgh

    UK

    2025:
    Tour of venues, UK

    2023:
    Premiere: Tour of specialist schools, UK

    Australia

    2024:
    Tour of specialist schools, VIC, Australia

    2023:
    Bunjil Place, VIC, Australia

    2022:
    Premiere:     Arts Centre Melbourne, VIC, AustraliaGreat Big Tiny World toured venues across the UK throughout 2025, including Imagine Festival at Southbank Centre, Edinburgh International Children’s Festival, and Ripple Early Years Arts Festival


Gallery

An audience member viewed through leaves. They are smiling up at a performer. An adult and young person, seen through the green blur of leaves that surround them. A performer with a torch guides audience members into a large tent. It is filled with plants in wooden and plastic crates. A metal bin lid with a bulb hanging from it hangs overhead. A panoramic view of the When the World Turns performance space, which is inside a circular tent shape. Textured, billowing cream tent material hangs overhead, held up a central pole. Wooden and plastic crates and metal bins filled with plants circle the pole, the perimeter of the space and are dotted in amongst wooden chairs. Some are lit by yellow light. Wooden fishing rods emerge behind leaves, with glowing lamps underneath metal bin lids hanging from them. A circular bin filled with water in a dark space. A light underneath illuminates the water. Water droplets fall from a hand held above it. Performance tent cast in deep blue light. The textured, billowing tent roof, large central plants and audience are dimly visible. The performers wave small lights through the air. The longer exposure of the camera means these fireflies leave a light trail that captures their flight through the air. A young woman with short brown hair sitting in her wheelchair. A middle aged woman with short grey hair and glasses sits next to her. They are inside the When the World Turns performance space, with a billowing tent overhead and surrounded with wooden crates and plants all around. There is atmospheric low lighting, illuminating their faces with a golden glow and casting shadows of the plant leaves. Hanging just above them is a metal bin lid. A young person looks at a jellyfish puppet held close to them by a performer. The body of the jellyfish is a light, which illuminates the young person's face with a pink glow. A performer holds the trunk of an elephant puppet, made from a long silver corrugated tube, to the ear of a young member. Three performers hold jellyfish puppets aloft, made of glowing lights and recycled electrical cords. The whole space is lit with a blue light, like the audience are under the sea. Three performers in earth-coloured overalls. They hold huge scrunched up balls of thick brown paper over their heads. A parachute tent roof overhead is lit in pinks and blues. The shadow of leaves on a parachute tent roof. A performer underneath holds a torch beneath a plant.

The Cart

Illustration on a blue background. Children interact with a red and white spotted cart, stuffed with colourful sensory items. Image from The Cart, credit Ananya Rao-Middleton

The Cart was created in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, as a way to safely tour specialist schools. It was also part of our 40th anniversary celebrations. The Cart toured in Spring and Autumn 2022.

About The Cart

The Cart is wheeling its way around the UK, delivering Oily Cart’s unique brand of multi-sensory mayhem directly to your school. Bursting with colours, textures and sounds, staff and students will find everything they need inside The Cart to create their very own sensory wonderlands that the whole school can enjoy.

The Cart has been designed with Covid in mind, bringing all the magic of an Oily Cart show in a way that keeps everyone safe. Staff will be provided with resources and guidance to support them in co-producing the experience for and with students, so that even when The Cart rolls on, the sensory tools and techniques live on in the school.

Inspired by the best of Oily Cart’s 40 years of sensory theatre work with schools, this promises to be a celebration like no other!

The Cart soundtrack is a collaboration/co-composition between Amiisi Makaye, Kapado Faizo, Adaya Shalifu, & Amuli Hassan from Nakibembe Village in Busoga, Uganda and Max Reinhardt & Mulele Matondo Afrika in the UK.

Max Reinhardt is supported by PRS Foundation’s The Open Fund.

Behind the Scenes

To learn more about the making of The Cart, read our blog about the music: This is the Way We Roll.

Drum (Tailored)

Shadow of a musician playing a xylophone sat inside a large drum. Photo from Drum, credit Patrick Baldwin

Oily Cart toured a version of Drum created for very young Autistic children and disabled children who experience the most barriers to access (sometimes labelled as having Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities).

Listen to the gentle rhythm of the big bass drum, watch the shadows dancing on the surface of the small drums. Join the Oily Cart in this wonderful new multi-sensory adventure.

Drum

Performer in black and white striped hat interacts with a baby beating a drum. Photo from Drum, credit Patrick Baldwin

Drum appeared as part of Music Boxes, a children’s commission for Manchester International Festival in July 2011, and toured UK venues in 2010 and 2011.

Listen to the gentle rhythm of the big bass drum, watch the shadows dancing on the surface of the small drums. Join the Oily Cart in this wonderful new multi-sensory adventure for very young children aged 6 months – 2 years.

Something Love

View through a green straw of a sunset over a river with a cityscape.

Something Love was created in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and is our first exploration into sensory film. It premiered in July 2021.

About Something Love

Cubbious (adj.) meaning ‘something love’

“My cat Rocco is cubbious. People can be cubbious too. Even objects like security blankets, books, my iPad etc. Things or people who are very special to me…Cubbious is the colour red and feels like love”.

Something Love is a series of films and still images that digs into the richness of autistic relationships with objects. Objects can be a channel to the rest of the world, and connect us to our bodies. Objects can look after us, and connect us to people and places. But mostly, they are themselves: objects have personalities all of their own.

Created for and with Autistic young people, Something Love is about the infinite joy of objects.

Something Love short films:

Something Love – Green Straw
Something Love – Cubbious

Something Love still images

Photograph looking through a green straw. At the other end is a hand holding a red heart. Photo from Something Love, Credit: Franki Ayres
Green straw amongst field of tall crops, against a blue sky
Shadows on grass. Shadow person with red squishy heart placed on chest looks up at a shadow tree with red squishy heart placed on trunk
View through a green straw of a sunset over a river with a cityscape. Photo from Something Love, credit Franki Ayres
Outstretched arm wearing blue jacket and orange fingerless glove holds a green biodegradable straw, bent at the neck. Its shape reflects the shape of cranes in the background, across a river.

Creative Facilitator Max on Something Love and the creative process

Text on yellow background. "The most exciting thing for me about Squishy Heart (the working title for Something Love) was getting to collaborate with these artists, young: Coery and Jetty, and less young: Franki and Rhiannon. But the other thing that really lit me up was getting to dig into the richness of autistic relationships with objects. For me, my relationships with certain objects are reciprocal. We look after each other. Sometimes they are a channel to the rest of the world, something that connects me to spaces and people around me; they can hold the energy of a place, person or time. But mostly they are beings in themselves with personalities of their own. They help connect me to my body; when I move them about in my hands, balance them on my head, feet, knees or feel their individual shape, heat and texture. They light up my brain with their infinite beautiful, joyful detail that I never get bored of exploring and playing with. We got to have space to explore and play with all of these things with Jetty and Coery. In our second session Coery shared his word Cubbious which he explained at the time as meaning ‘something love’. Cubbious is a very good word. In my head it always has a capital C which feels like it’s holding its arms out to the rest of the word, the double b is friendly and warm and the ‘ious’ is unexpected and mysteriously complex. The best kind of words for me are the ones that I can imagine picking up and playing with. When I say Cubbious it feels like a small cool, smooth and soothingly heavy cube sitting in my palm. Later Coery shared some more about his word he wrote: “My cat Rocco is cubbious. People can be cubbious too. Even objects like security blankets, books, my iPad etc. Things or people who are very special to me…Cubbious is the colour red and feels like love”. This describes what really excites me about the word Cubbious; it doesn’t seem to discriminate between people, animals like Rocco the cat and objects. It’s a special red kind of love." - Max Alexander, Creative Facilitator / Collaborating Artist
Audio of Max Alexander’s writing on Something Love (referred to by its working title during development, Squishy Heart)

Behind the scenes

Read our blog about the Something Love creative process and accessible creative practices.

Find out more about our response to the Covid-19 pandemic, including Something Love, in our Uncancellable Programme Report.

Space To Be

Panel of 3 photos of young people experiencing Space to Be in their homes

Space to Be was created in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and toured across the UK from March – August 2021. Oily Cart received the 2021 Fantastic for Families’ Impact and Innovation Award, recognising innovation and adaptability to make a difference to families during the pandemic, which included Space to Be.

About Space to Be

Once upon a time, there was you and me…

Let your hands lead the way as they discover different textures and open up tiny universes.

Oily Cart’s Space to Be is a sensory show that we send to your home. It’s been created for and with disabled young people (aged 0-18) who experience the world in a sensory way, and their families.

You will unwrap the show over a week through a series of packages, bringing moments of wonder for you to enjoy individually, and together.

Space to Be explores each family’s unique story: our individual differences and how we are all connected like a constellation in the universe.

Described by A Younger Theatre as “a great experience bringing all your senses and really involving the whole family”. Read the full review here.

Behind the scenes

Read Composer and Musical Director Jeremy Harrison’s blog on how the music for Space to Be was made using the sound of real stars.

Find out more about our response to the Covid-19 pandemic, including Space to Be, in our Uncancellable Programme Report.

Space to Be was inspired by our first Researcher-in-Residence, Dr Jill Goodwin. You can read her report, which includes Space to Be: ‘Being With’ in Sensory Theatre Report.

Watch this video of photos, videos and quotes for an insight into how families experienced the show.

Descriptive transcript (WORD)

Descriptive transcript (PDF)

Discover more about what families thought about Space to Be here.

Jamboree: The Album

Photograph of the Jamboree band in a field. They are all wearing colourful, festival outfits and holding their instruments. They are stood around a huge drum. In the background are trees and a block of flats. Photo from Jamboree, credit Suzi Corker

Jamboree: The Album was created in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. It was part of the #WeShallNotBeRemoved movement, an alliance of the UKs disabled artists and disabled-led companies, coming together to campaign for an inclusive cultural recovery. Jamboree: The Album was released in December 2020.

Miss Jacqui l Doorstep Jamboree

About Jamboree: The Album

Get ready to make some noise! Jamboree: The Album is an inclusive, immersive musical experience, developed for everyone of all ages to enjoy together.

Jamboree: The Album contains all the songs and music from the different versions of our show Jamboree, plus soundscape interludes of interactions between students, audiences and the cast.

Shop now

Listen to sample tracks

Listen to sample of ‘The Whole World Is Watching’

Listen to sample of ‘The Sky Is Your Playground’

Listen to sample of ‘You’re Important’

About the Jamboree Band

At the heart of our show Jamboree is the mythical travelling band who collect tunes and rhythms from those who rarely get listened to. The music was originally inspired by improvisations between professional musicians and young musicians, many of whom do not communicate through verbal language. Since then, it has gone on its own journey and is still evolving.

The Jamboree band is an ensemble of professional disabled and non-disabled musicians: vocalists Dunja Botic and Jovana Backovic, and instrumentalists Robyn Steward, Aaron Diaz and Daniel Gouly, with additional vocals from Griff Fender and Mark Foster. Lyrics are written by spoken word artist and disability activist, Miss Jacqui.

Some of the tracks are also featured in Jamboree: The Sensory Sessions. These interactive, creative sessions were made in collaboration with families during lockdown, and are designed to be enjoyed from home or school.

Behind the Scenes

Watch short film Composing a Jamboree about co-creating the show’s music with disabled young people.

Find out more about our response to the Covid-19 pandemic in our Uncancellable Programme Report.

Doorstep Jamboree

Photograph of the Jamboree band in a field. They are all wearing colourful, festival outfits and holding their instruments. They are stood around a huge drum. In the background are trees and a block of flats. Photo from Jamboree, credit Suzi Corker

Doorstep Jamboree was created in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and toured across London in Autumn 2020. Oily Cart received the 2021 Fantastic for Families’ Impact and Innovation Award, recognising innovation and adaptability to make a difference to families during the pandemic, which included Doorstep Jamboree.

About Doorstep Jamboree

The Jamboree travelling Balkan band are popping up across London on the doorsteps of families who are still shielding. The band, which includes a sousaphone, clarinet, and singers, will play some tunes from Oily Cart’s sensory gig Jamboree, in a colourful and joyful celebration of resilience. Each performance will be totally unique and responsive to the individual family, who pick from two options so that their performance is tailored to them:

  • A personalised zoom performance where the young person has a song dedicated to them. This is recorded and added to an album of songs from Jamboree that the family are sent afterwards
  • Three members of the Jamboree Band improvise outside their house for 30 minutes. Before the mini show, the musicians post a bespoke sensory prop, so they can ‘jam’ together through the window or letterbox.

There will also be a pop-up version that tours to hospices, residential schools and children’s centres.

As part of this tour, Oily Cart are proud to release Jamboree: The Album. This features tunes that were co-created with young people who are non-verbal, through a research process which embedded Jamboree band musicians in specialist schools around the country to collaborate with young disabled musicians (sometimes labelled as having complex needs) who are non-verbal.

The album is designed to be shared and enjoyed by everyone, disabled and non-disabled. It is Oily Cart’s way of making sure disabled young people are being listened to even if they are not being seen out in public spaces over the next year or so.

Doorstep Jamboree and the accompanying album are part of the We Shall Not Be Removed campaign. This is an alliance of the UKs disabled artists and disabled-led companies, coming together to campaign for an inclusive cultural recovery #WeShallNotBeRemoved

Behind the scenes

Watch short film Composing a Jamboree about co-creating the show’s music with disabled young people.

Find out more about our response to the Covid-19 pandemic, including Doorstep Jamboree, in our Uncancellable Programme Report.

At-home ideas

Watch Jamboree: The Sensory Sessions – three interactive, creative sessions inspired by the sensory moments in Jamboree, designed for families to try at home.

Check out these Jamboree: Sensory ideas to try at home.

Mole in the Hole

Five characters, all wearing dark costumes, holding lanterns and wearing headtorches. Photo from Mole in the Hole.

Following a Christmas run at Unicorn Theatre in 2010, Mole in the Hole toured UK venues in 2011. 

Meet the Mole Family in their cosy, underground home, lined with straw and strewn with sweet-smelling herbs. This is a wonderland with delights underfoot, popping out from the walls and even down from the ceiling. The Musical Mole fills the cavern with sounds as we journey to meet the Silly Rabbits, the Brave Snail and encounter some problems that the Moles will need your help to solve.

This is an adventure for all the senses to be enjoyed by all children from 3 to 6, their families and friends. 

Something in the Air

Production shot from Something in the Air

Originally commissioned by Manchester International Festival, Oily Cart were involved in school residencies and public performances of SOMETHING IN THE AIR in Manchester in 2009. The show then toured venues and schools in Spring 2010, and Spring 2012.

Oily Cart and aerial theatre company Ockham’s Razor present SOMETHING IN THE AIR, an interactive aerial show was specifically created for young people with complex disabilities or on the autistic spectrum. Comfortably seated in suspended nest-chairs the young people and their carers will ‘fly’ amongst the aerial performers in a unique kinaesthetic adventure.

Manchester Evening News coverage of the show

Ring a Ding Ding

Performer in black and white costume and big red bow puppeteers an identical puppet on a bicycle, while two young audience members wearing big red bows watch.

Following a Christmas run at the Unicorn Theatre in 2011, Ring a Ding Ding was performed in venues across the UK and at the New Victory Theater in New York in 2012.

Ring a Ding Ding is an epic – though tiny – table-top voyage of discovery, where your fingers and noses are never far from the action. An immersive, interactive and multi-sensory show for children aged 3 – 6 and their families.

Ring a Ding Ding features a cast of hand crafted puppets, made entirely from recycled materials, by Oily Cart designer Claire de Loon working in collaboration with South African wire worker Mogothi and inspired by traditional African toys. The musical instruments for the show have also been made from recycled materials by Jamie Linwood, who has transformed the chassis of a lorry into an unusual collection of percussion instruments.

The show playfully explores rings in all their forms: from the sounds of bells, to the movement of the specially designed revolving stage and the rotation of the sun, moon and earth overhead.

Gorgeous

Production shot from Gorgeous

Oily Cart returned to Manchester International Festival for a third time from 27th June – 8th July 2011 with a new commission to create a production for Autistic children and children who experience the most barriers to access (sometimes labelled as having Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities).

With the support of Seven Scent, fragrance creators for PZ Cussons, Oily Cart transformed four Manchester special schools into oases of beautiful fragrances and wonderlands of evocative perfumes.

Oily Cart then toured a version of Gorgeous in Autumn 2011 to specialist primary and secondary schools, taking a team of all-singing, all-dancing beauticians around the UK in order to create a series of stylish transformations.

Mr & Mrs Moon

Production shot from Mr and Mrs Moon

Following a Christmas run at Stratford Circus in 2013, Mr & Mrs Moon toured UK venues in 2014.

When the Woman Who Lives In The Moon comes down from the sky to play with the children on a beautiful beach, she likes it so much she doesn’t want to go home. Join her and feel the sand between your toes and the Moonwind in your hair as we dance to the music of the stars.

A sparkling show for 2-5 year olds written and directed by Tim Webb with live music written by Max Reinhardt and Catriona Price and a beautiful design by Claire de Loon. The audience will be immersed in a magical Oily mix of interaction, playfulness and adventure. 

There Was An Old Woman

Marketing image for There Was An Old Woman

An Oily Cart production in association with the Southbank Centre

Following a Christmas run at the Southbank Centre in 2014, There Was An Old Woman toured UK venues in 2015.

There’s a problem with shoes. They keep getting mixed up. That man has a welly on one foot, and a fluffy slipper on the other. The woman over there is wearing a flip flop and a football boot. Some people don’t have any shoes at all!  What’s going on? Has that woman who lives in a shoe got anything to do with this?

Help us find out in Oily Cart’s beautiful show for children from 3 to 5, their families and friends. Join us on a journey through the sights, scents textures and sounds of this multi-sensory Oily Cart Wonderland in the company of a live musician, and all sorts of shoes.

Baby Tube

Production image from Tube

Tube toured UK venues in 2013 and 2014, and was part of the Abu Dhabi Festival 2014.

Watch as Oily Cart transform the tube into a feast for the senses, created for babies aged 6 months – 2 years. We’ll conjure up a tactile wonderland from a fabulous variety of tubes – tubes filled with sound, tubes that puff out gentle breezes, and tubes glistening with kaleidoscopic colours – to delight and entrance our young audience.

Tube

Tube Production image

Tube toured special schools and arts venues in the UK in 2013 and 2014.

In a wonderland conjured up from a fabulous variety of tubes – tubes filled with sound, tubes glistening with kaleidoscopic colours, tubes that puff out gentle breezes and the scents of the natural world – young participants will bounce, swing, spin and sway in luxurious leaf chairs.

TUBE is a highly interactive experience, with performers adapting to the specific requirements of each individual in the audience. It has been created for disabled children aged 3-11 years old.

The Bounce

Production image from The Bounce

The Bounce toured specialist schools and arts venues in Autumn 2014 and Spring / Summer 2015.

Developed with support from Ockham’s Razor this new multi-sensory and highly interactive show is created for Autistic and disabled young people who experience the most barriers to access (sometimes labelled as having profound and multiple learning disabilities) aged 3-19.

Using trampolines, video projection and live music with a Middle Eastern flavour we explore bounce in all its forms from gentle to exuberant, carefully adapting our performances to the specific requirements of each audience member.

Land of Lights

Production shot from Land of Lights

Following a Christmas run at artsdepot in 2015, Land of Lights embarked on a national tour in 2016.

A splendidly-coloured hot air balloon floats over a miniature landscape.  Where have all the little people gone?  Perhaps the tiny balloonist can tell us. With the help of our audience, the adventure begins as we journey across several distinctive worlds, each with their own textures and smells – our destination being the magical and twinkly Land of Lights.

Oily Cart presents this show for 3-5 year olds and their families, jam-packed with live music, puppets and a medley of wonderlands, all leading us to a sparkling finish. 

In A Pickle

Production shot from In A Pickle

In A Pickle was first performed as part of the World Shakespeare Festival 2012. Following a Winter run at the Unicorn Theatre in 2012, it toured the UK in 2013. There was a Winter run at artsdepot in 2016, and a UK and US tour in 2017.

About In A Pickle

An Oily Cart production commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company for the World Shakespeare Festival

A total theatre experience for children aged 3 to 5, and their families and friends, inspired by The Winter’s Tale. Join us on a voyage of discovery through the landscapes of Shakespeare’s imagination and the music of his language.

Our adventure begins in the woolly pastures of the Shepherdess and her flock of sheep, who are having a party to celebrate the sheep shearing. When they come across a lost baby, they have no idea what to do – but surely the children can help! Following clues, together we will sail the salty sea to the mysterious royal court in search of a happy ending. There are many sensory delights, including beautiful costumes, enchanting live music, lovely perfumes and delightful textures, along the way.

Mirror Mirror

A performer wearing a blue costume with big silver spots runs a soft brush on a young audience member's arm. Photo from Mirror Mirror, credit Neal Houghton

Mirror Mirror toured specialist schools and arts venues across the UK in Autumn 2016 and Summer 2017.

About Mirror Mirror

Take a seat in Oily Cart’s extra-special salon, designed to make you feel beautiful inside and out!

Mirror Mirror’s multi-sensory beauty parlour is a chance to be pampered and get involved in messy play. Soft make-up brushes glide across faces, warm soapy water washes over skin, and mud-packs are massaged into hands in Oily Cart’s production for children and young people with complex disabilities. It’s a world of sparkling light and magical mirrors, complemented by the aroma of perfume and accompanied by live music from a full-sized harp. Mirror Mirror is an immersive, interactive treat from head to toe.

Mirror Mirror is an immersive adventure for 3-19 year olds and comes in two distinct versions: for Autistic young people, and for disabled young people who experience the most barriers to access (sometimes labelled as having profound and multiple learning disabilities).

Behind the Scenes

Hear from teachers about their schools’ experience of Mirror Mirror.

Hush-A-Bye

Hush-A-Bye Production Image

Following a Winter run at artsdepot in 2017, Hush-A-Bye toured UK venues in 2018.

About Hush-A-Bye

Hush-a-bye baby, on the tree-top, when the wind blows the cradle will rock…

Nestle among branches and meet the neighbours in Oily Cart’s immersive tree-top world. The leafy canopy is home to some of the creatures you might expect, and one you definitely won’t – a tiny baby! How did the infant get up there? Who is looking after them? And how can we help? Experiencing the sights, sounds and smells of a woodland wonderland, the audience must explore to find answers.

Hush-A-Bye is an interactive, multi-sensory production for the very young, with live music, puppets and an enchanting environment. Created by Oily Cart, a theatre company renowned for their innovation, the production is presented in three versions: one for babies and toddlers (6 months – 2 years), one for young children (3 – 5 years), and a relaxed version for young people aged 3 – 8.

With support from The Royal Victoria Hall Foundation

Light Show

Production shot from Light Show

Light Show toured to specialist schools and arts venues across the UK in Autumn 2015 and Spring / Summer 2016. It played at Lincoln Center’s Big Umbrella Festival in New York in 2018.

About Light Show

Oily Cart invites you into a magical paper palace, where the sensory delights of nature unfold to provide the audience with a fully immersive experience.

Creating distinct silhouettes, in an exquisite play of light and shadow, a serene papery white landscape transitions from a beautiful warm day at the beach to a dreamy moonlit wonderland. The show takes participants on a multi-sensory journey of textures, smells and tactile experiences, all accompanied by enchanting live music from a virtuoso double bass player. 

Light Show is for 3-11 year olds and comes in two distinct versions: for Autistic children and for disabled children who experience the most barriers to access (sometimes labelled as having profound and multiple learning disabilities).


Kubla Khan

Production shot from Kubla Khan

Kubla Khan toured specialist schools and arts venues in the UK in 2017 and 2018.

About Kubla Khan

It was a miracle of rare device
A sunny pleasure dome with caves of ice!

Welcome to the world of Kubla Khan, a multi-sensory pleasure dome that you can touch, taste and smell. From the sounds of a kora to the feel of a flowing river, experience the temperatures and textures of Coleridge’s acclaimed poem as the aroma of incense drifts by…

Oily Cart’s astonishing new work for young people from age 3 to 19 comes in three distinct versions: for Autistic young people, Deafblind young people, and for disabled young people who experience the most barriers to access (sometimes labelled as having profound and multiple learning disabilities).

Coleridge’s poem ‘Kubla Khan’ is brought to life in this multi-sensory, highly interactive and all-enveloping production enhanced by live music. The intimate and interactive performance is limited to six young people at a time, each supported by an adult carer to maximize their involvement.

Hippity Hop

Young audience member wearing backwards orange cap presses a doorbell in the Hippity Hop Town. A performer wearing speaker headphones watches him. Photo from Hippity Hop, Credit Suzi Corker

Following a Winter run at artsdepot in 2018, Hippity Hop embarked on a UK tour in 2019.

About Hippity Hop

Oily Cart’s sell-out success,Hippity Hop, is back to meet a new generation of hip young things. Experience the puppetry, rap, music and movement of the first ever interactive hip hop show for young children aged 2-5.

With hip hop flavoured beats, fun lyrics written by acclaimed rap artist BREIS, graffiti-based designs, and the twinkling lights of the city, Hippity Hop celebrates street culture. Join the Hippity Hoppity baby for a multi-sensory musical – it’s a hip hopera!