The Badger Story is a digital multi-sensory theatre experience, that allows people with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) and high health needs, to enjoy the Arts in their own home.
The global Covid-19 pandemic poses a huge risk to those with high health needs or disabilities, which often means extended periods in the home, supported living environment or hospital. Access to rich Arts experiences, like theatre, aren’t possible yet the need for the Arts, to help with mental health and wellbeing, is greater than ever. We thought it important to do something innovative using digital technologies, to provide that access in another way..
We’ve worked tirelessly through New Zealand’s COVID-19 lockdown to pull together a crack team of talented artists, to create this new multi-sensory ‘theatre’ experience, which uses props, easily found in the supermarket and in the kitchen cupboard, to support the narrative.
We want The Badgers Story to be an immersive experience and accessible to the whole family, so we have tried and tested stuff from around the house that can be used creatively to support the narrative..
The Badgers Story is a short narrative pulled from “The Incredible and Glorious World According to The Fitzroys”, our new work by Charlotte Nightingale that won Best Performance (Ensemble) at Auckland Fringe. An inclusive cast of performers told the story of Liam Fitzroy, a teenager with Autism for whom the outside world was tricky but, at home, the world he created with his family was quite incredible.
“By adapting The Badgers Story into a multi-sensory theatre experience the audience will begin to understand the world from a neurologically diverse person’s perspective”, says Charlotte, whose rare chromosome difference and experience in the school system as a result, played a huge part in the writing.
The experience was created using multi-sensory techniques developed in collaboration with the UK’s Frozen Light Theatre, and will be ready for ‘in-home’ audiences on Thursday 3rd December 2020, in celebration of the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
The Badger Story is offered free to audiences in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Recently, Charlotte spoke to Lynn Freeman, about The Badger Story and multi-sensory theatre, on RNZ’s Standing Room Only programme. Find out more here.
The Badger Story is being developed with support from Creative New Zealand’s Covid Response fund and The IHC Foundation.
