Oily Cart Announces New Nature-Inspired Sensory Theatre Adventures

Oily Cart has announced two new nature-inspired sensory theatre adventures ‘When the World Turns' for disabled children and ‘Great Big Tiny World' for babies 

Small audience groups sit immersed in a wonderland of hundreds of real plants, watching, feeling and hearing as music, puppets, sounds, smells, light and shadows are brought to life around them. These two new shows by Oily Cart are biophilic sensory theatre adventures, made together with and for young audiences with the most barriers to access. Made over a 4-year creative process with disabled and non-disabled artists of all ages and touring together, ‘When the World Turns' is for disabled children and ‘Great Big Tiny World' is for babies and their carers. ‘When the World Turns' was originally conceived through an Oily Cart (UK) and Polyglot Theatre (AUS) collaboration co-directed by Ellie Griffiths and Sue Giles.

 

Oily Cart shows push the medium of theatre beyond words using not just 5 senses, but all 33, for young audiences who relate to the world in a sensory way. ‘When the World Turns' redresses the access barriers that disabled children face in experiencing both theatre and wild, natural environments. This latest production is directed by artist Rhiannon Armstrong. 

‘Great Big Tiny World' provides a restorative, nurturing sensory space for the whole family to connect and share their first theatre memory. It's developed to take babies seriously as an audience and is directed by new mum, Oily Cart's Artistic Director Ellie Griffiths. 

‘When the World Turns' and ‘Great Big Tiny World' are immersive, sensory theatre that leads audience members to tune in to each other and the world around them guided by masterful performers. Set in the time between dusk and dawn in a world of living plants the show is a ‘duet with nature'. It features a soundtrack created with disabled and non-disabled musicians playing alongside field recordings of insects, animals and natural elements.

The shows are based on the themes of biodiversity, and inter-connectedness as necessary elements of a healthy, thriving ecosystem. ‘When the World Turns' and ‘Great Big Tiny World' are founded on the premise that ‘the world has decided things need to change, and something magical and mischievous has started to grow'. 

The shows begin in the theatre foyer, with an introduction to creative preparation resources and sensory elements from the show such as sounds embedded in cushions; and beautifully crafted ‘touch maps'. A performer then guides the families into a gently lit fantastical world surrounded by three hundred living plants. This world gradually comes to life, through moving speakers, sensory props, puppets, specialist lighting, shadows and interactive water moments. Families huddle and shelter from a storm as the world recovers and the set is transformed as the audience bathes in the glow of the golden light of dawn. The show builds to a climax as the adults are passed a note, asking them to follow their child's lead, as the soundscape layers together recordings from nature and of the voices of disabled children and babies.

Audience capacity is kept small so the performers can improvise up close and interact with every audience member individually, tailoring the experience to their way of being in the world. The performers improvise around each audience member's responses, tailoring the action to each child. In this way, each performance is unique.

The idea for the original show ‘When the World Turns' was seeded from a conversation between Oily Cart's Artistic Director Ellie Griffiths and a parent of a disabled child. Because of a lack of access, their family were made to feel they didn't belong in natural environments by using assistive equipment and so their bodies didn't fit into what is seen as ‘normal'. Ellie said: “This conversation grew into a sensory show where young audiences who are considered the most ‘hard to reach', are not only welcomed into the natural world - but lead the way. It's up to the adults to follow their example and listen with all their senses. Both shows celebrate children's responses and voices without the need for words. The shows are designed to foster a sense of belonging, where each being in this magical ecosystem is equally listened to and valued.”

A world leader in ecological design Dr Tanja Beer's research has inspired the original concept for ‘When the World Turns'. Dr Beer's work is influenced by biophilia - humanity's innate love of, and need for nature. The show's set and props are made from reclaimed and recycled materials. The structure and content were devised from Biophilic patterns, usually used in architecture and design, to create a unique sensory environment that has a tangible positive effect on the audience's regulation and wellbeing. UK show designer and eco-scenographer Andrea Carr, of Eco-Stage, has brought this to life in a UK context, redeveloping the scenography with local textures, plants, smells and materials, sensitive to a UK context. This way of working is a unique part of the sustainable international co-production that this project has been testing out.

Ellie Griffiths Artistic Director of Oily Cart said: “We are proud and excited to share the outcome of this amazing collaboration that has spanned years of research, thinking, and imagining with Polyglot Theatre and Tanja Beer. These shows are a labour of love, especially now, for me now as a new mum. As a team of creatives, across countries, we have put care and attention to detail put into every element of the audience's experience. Having over 300 living plants as our co-performers has truly shifted the way that Oily Cart works and tours as a company. The plants really are the stars of the show!”

“I hope that every family, or school group that comes to the shows leave feeling more connected, and a bit more in love with the world than when they came in. I have witnessed first-hand the effect this living breathing sensory environment has on everyone who spends time in it. It's a very special project to be part of I can't wait to share that with audiences all across the UK.”

‘When the World Turns', and ‘Great Big Tiny World' are on tour from 3 February to 30 March 2025. For more information visit oilycart.org.uk/whats-on/ 

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