Sensory Theatre

Tim Webb is one of the three co-founders of the Oily Cart. He was the Artistic Director and chief writer of the company from 1981 to his retirement in 2018. During this time, he led a team that created more than 85 productions for young people including those labelled as having Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities or other complex disabilities. He has taught and directed sensory, immersive and interactive theatre in Belgium, Canada, China, Ireland, Russia, Sweden, Abu Dhabi and the USA, as well as throughout the UK. In 2011, he was honoured to be appointed MBE by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for his work for young people with disabilities. In 2018, he was made an Honorary Fellow of Rose Bruford College.

• PART ONE The Beginnings of Sensory Theatre 1 Sensory Theatre: The Beginnings 2 Theatre for Two to Five Year Olds 3 All Sorts of Shows for All Sorts of Kids 4 How Long Is a Piece of Theatre? 5 Close-up on PMLD 6 Truly Immersive: Theatre in Hydropools 7 Magic Carpet Ride 8 From PMLD to Autism Spectrum 9 Sensory Theatre for the Very Early Years PART TWO How Sensory Theatre Works 10 Sensory Theatre Audiences 11 Sensory Theatre Is Multisensory 12 The Senses One by One: The Sense of Seeing 13 The Senses One by One: The Sense of Hearing 14 The Senses One by One: The Sense of Touch 15 The Senses One by One: The Sense of Smell 16 The Senses One by One: The Sense of Taste 17 The Senses One by One: The Kinaesthetic Sense 18 The Senses One by One: The Sense of Hot and Cold 19 The Sensory Audit 20 Sensory Theatre Is Close-up and Interactive 21 Wonderlands: Design in Sensory Theatre 22 Venues: Open and Closed 23 Music That Is Felt as Much as Heard 24 The Problem with Narrative 25 The Performers in Sensory Theatre 26 Puppets and Pixels 27 Auditions 28 Rehearsals and Rehearsal Spaces 29 Shows That Start Before They Begin: Preparation 30 Continuous Consultation and Feedback PART THREE The Growth of Sensory Theatre 31 A Rough Guide to its Progress So Far 32 Carousel Players: Canada 33 Chicago Children’s Theatre: USA 34 Bamboozle: UK 35 Frozen Light: UK 36 Théâtre Motus: Canada 37 Hospital Theatre Project: Japan 38 Sensorium: Australia 39 Scen:se Project: Sweden 40 Trusty Sidekick and Lincoln Center: USA 41 Helium: Ireland 42 Sun-Pucho: Japan 43 Threshold: Australia 44 Making Sensory Theatre with Safe Place: Israel 45 C&T: UK 46 Blanket Fort Club: UK 47 Concrete Youth: UK 48 Second Hand Dance: UK 49 Honolulu Theatre for Youth and Hawai‘i State Art Museum: USA 50 The K’ilu Company: USA 51 Oily Cart: UK 52 Sensory Theatre is Digital Too

“This is one of the most important books about theatre-making I have read in recent years…Every serious student of theatre should read it. Every theatre-maker should”. -Danny Braverman SFHEA FRSA, Winner: 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award for Drama – Music & Drama Educators“In an increasingly digital online and divisive world, magnifying what we can offer the world through theatre is ever more important and thus we must be open to expanding the perceived limits of theatre, which this book does.” -Teresa A. Fisher, Bronx Community College“Making contact and making meaning are here ways of enabling the sheer pleasure of theatre to be experienced regardless of ability or expectation. It’s not misleading to describe the work in these pages as a means of sharing pleasure. Even where the tone or content can be dark, this is a theatre of hope.” -Tony Graham, Artistic Director of the Unicorn Theatre for 14 years"With humility, honesty, and good humor, Webb offers a menu of possibilities for creating sensory theatre, informed by Oily Cart’s bold experimentation and innovation spanning over forty years. Featuring accounts of sensory theatre world-wide, this book celebrates the best of multisensory theatre.” -Elizabeth Brendel Horn, Associate Professor of Theatre for Young Audiences, Northwestern University "This is essential reading for anyone interested in theatre. Tim Webb is a pioneer of sensory theatre practice, his work and ideas have influenced countless companies and artists around the world. In this second edition of his book he shares that expertise with a clarity, generosity and care that makes this a must-read for all who make, think about or dream of creating theatre that is accessible to all." -Professor Jeremy Harrison, Head of the Theatre for Young Audience's Centre at Rose Bruford College, Lead Artist (SEND) for Playground, aand Special School Advisor for Primary Shakespeare Company“Webb demonstrates that sensory theatre is among the most imaginative and artistically adventurous forms of performance being created today....Sensory Theatre stands as a testament to a global movement that continues to redefine excellence, innovation, and accessibility in performance." - Gillian McNally, Professor, Theatre Education, University of Northern Colorado"Tim Webb's SENSORY THEATRE is perhaps the most vital contemporary text for anyone creating immersive new works that are accessible to and engaging for all audiences. This text guides the creator through history, current practices, and inspiring, yet practical, tools for transcending traditional boundaries and engaging audiences through multisensory experiences. What a gift! I learned so much and look forward to sharing it with my students and colleagues – so that we can all strive to create theatre that is accessible to all." -Meriah Sage, Associate Professor and Program Director of Applied Drama & Theatre for the Young Graduate Program, Director of Theatre, Eastern Michigan University; 2025 recipient of the Johnny Saldana Outstanding Professor of Theatre Education Award