1988

The first show in a specialist school

Oily Cart Co-founder Tim Webb: ‘Hammocking’ and discovering the kinaesthetic sense

Former specialist school teacher Sue: ‘Tickled Pink’ and shows in specialist schools

Dinner Ladies from Outer Space (1992). From left to right: Nicola McCrae, Paulette Brown as Dinner Ladies. Geoff Bowyer as Top Scientist. Photo: Amrando Atkinson

Dinner Ladies from Outer Space from Dinner Ladies from Outer Space (1992)

Box of Socks (1988). From left to right: Tim Webb, Max Reinhardt, Maureen Hibbert. Photo: Gina Glover

Bip, Bop and Beep (Hello) (2023 Remaster) from Box of Socks (1988)

In 1988, the Deputy Head of a Specialist School asked Oily Cart to perform an under 5s show in his school. Learning that the age range of the students was 3-19, Tim, Max and Claire asked if they could do research with the school instead. What they found out has inspired our work ever since:

• There was a huge range of personalities in the school, and any show should aim to engage all of them
• A typical show length (45 to 60 minutes) was too short – more time was needed for us to get to know the young people and the young people to get to know us
• ‘Hammocking’ – being rocked and bounced in hammocks – was hugely popular with students, our first experience of the delights of the kinaesthetic sense!

Dinner Ladies from Outer Space was the first show for which the music and songs were recorded and distributed on cassette to each school the show visited. Since then, all of our shows created for specialist schools audiences have received casettes, then CDs and now, downloads, of the music.