Sensorium Theatre

Snuggleplay stats:
6 weeks of creative development, 9 work-in-progress showings, 3 performers, 3 puppets, 3 volunteers, 1 live musician and 600 wriggly baby toes.

Together, we explored a world of gentle sensory experiences, shared curiosity and connection. Through every gaze, giggle, wriggle and moment of stillness, these tiny collaborators reminded us why creating art for the very youngest audiences is such a privilege.

The insights from this Creative Development phase will help guide the next stage of Snuggleplay's development, and we are deeply grateful to all the families who generously shared their time, trust and feedback with us.

This work would not be possible without the support of our funding partners.

Thank you to ARTS Impact, Lotterywest and the Cassandra Gantner Foundation for believing in the power of inclusive arts experiences and helping us create meaningful opportunities for babies and families. Thank you also to the City of Cockburn for its generous support to provide the Old Jandakot School venue which was a beautiful space to create and refine Snuggleplay.

We are grateful for the vision, expertise, and leadership of Artistic Director/Baby Magnet Michelle Hovane.

To our extraordinary artists and creative team Alice Cummins, Jacqui Otago, Thea Rossen, Kathleen Szalay, Gala Shevtsov, Ella Hetherington, Francis Italiano, Sanjiva Margio, Ellen Flatters, Lucy Birkinshaw, Carol Millner, Lena John Gomez, volunteers Auneeba Rathur, Asha Rajan and Jessica Wallwork, participating families and our audience of 60 VIP babies who can now forever claim that before the age of 2, they were active participants in the arts and helped create a heartwarming theatre show.

Image credit: (1) and (2) Edwin Sitts


Lotterywest
City of Cockburn

Hello from Albany!

Frankie hit the road this week as we begin community planning for the regional tour of Wonderbox. He met up with Drew Dymond, manager of the Albany Entertainment Centre, where we will be performing later this year.

Before the boxes are unpacked and the performances begin, we're taking time to connect with local communities, build partnerships and learn more about the people who will help shape this next stage of the journey.

These early conversations are an important part of how Sensorium works. They help us create experiences that are responsive, welcoming and grounded in the communities we visit.

We're excited to meet new collaborators and start imagining the possibilities together. Thanks to support from funders, old friends from schools who haven’t seen us since 2019, plus new ones we’re yet to meet, will be able to enjoy the magic of Wonderbox from November 12 to 16.

Watch this space as the Wonderbox adventure continues across regional Western Australia!

Thank you to our supporters and funders:
Albany Entertainment Centre
Arts and Culture Trust
CircuitWest
Telethon7 Perth

Creative industries, WA
Creative Gov

The babies are coming!!… and there are 60 of them!

Under the inspiring artistic direction of Michelle Hovane, and showered by the golden confetti of a welcoming wattle tree, Sensorium’s Artists-in-Residence at the City of Cockburn are almost ready for Snuggleplay.

Creative Development Phase 2 has been a time of deep listening, collective imagination and fearless experimentation, as the team explores how to create theatre for babies and their families that feels safe, playful and full of possibility.

With so many creative minds in the room, co-design and collaboration have been equal parts nurturing, adventurous and delightfully unpredictable. Guided by Michelle’s vision, the artists have been building a borderless world of multi-sensory discovery marvel.

Soon, our most important collaborators will arrive: 60 babies attending nine work-in-progress performances.

For months, the artists and Snuggleplay team have been dreaming, making, singing, dancing and refining. Now it’s time for the tiniest, sweetest dramaturgs in town to take centre stage and show us what truly matters.

The babies - alongside their grown-ups - will lead the way. Their gazes, giggles, wriggles and moments of wonder will help shape the future of Snuggleplay and guide the journey ahead.

L–R: Jacqui Otago, Kathleen Szalay, Wendi Graham, Alice Cummins, Michelle Hovane, Lucy Birkinshaw, Lena John Gomez and Thea Rossen.

Creative industries, WA
City of Cockburn

Creative Australia

What happens when you head down to the river on a cold, blustery day and simply start to play?

These intriguing images are from a recent Research & Development project led by Sensorium Senior Artists Jamie David and Bec Bradley. Braving the winter weather, a small team of Sensorium Theatre artists ventured riverside to experiment and explore.

R&D is an essential part of our creative process. It gives our artists space to test ideas, investigate new ways of engaging the senses, and discover unexpected moments of wonder that one day, may find their way into a Sensorium production.

Watch this space to see where this playful exploration leads next.

At Sensorium, we don’t just create theatre.

We create spaces where children with disability can explore, connect and be celebrated exactly as they are.

We create experiences where families feel welcomed, included and understood.

And we create moments that stay with people long after the performance ends.

As we approach EOFY, we’re asking our community to help us continue this work.

Every contribution helps us reach more children and families across WA.

We make the difference you imagine. Donations over $2 are tax-deductible. Please visit: https://www.givenow.com.au/sensoriumtheatre

At Sensorium Theatre, it is the co-creation process that really gives our work its nuance and its power.

We're co-creating the world we're in, as we're in it.

Sensorium Theatre is a registered charity. Please help us continue making inclusive theatre for children with disability by donating at http://www.sensoriumtheatre.com.au/donate