Watch. Listen. Breathe. Sit still. Keep quiet. Traditionally, theatre productions have focused on connecting with their audiences through sight and sound. However, the freedom of the stage has always fostered an experiential creativity. Over recent decades, this has resulted in a unique opportunity for theatre to expand beyond these two senses, giving rise to the emerging medium of sensory theatre. This genre opens up exciting possibilities for Cambridge theatre to experiment with the full spectrum of sensory experience, exploring new forms of connection with its audience and enhancing its boundary-pushing creativity

“Sensory storytelling does not aim merely to accommodate these individuals, but to actively embrace and empower their perspectives”

Pioneered in 1981 by the three founders of Oily Cart, a London-based company, the genre of sensory theatre prioritises accessibility and inclusivity through immersive theatrical experience. Its modern iteration utilises techniques such as multi-layered soundscapes, allowing an audience to hear and physically feel the music through vibrational frequency. A performance may also avoid flashing lights, instead immersing its audience in ambient lighting. By enveloping its audience within this environment, sensory theatre expands the stage and blurs the threshold between audience and performers. Consequently, it provides a setting where an audience can access a narrative more comfortably.

This has revolutionised theatre for those who are often excluded from the traditional arts, such as those with PMLD (profound and multiple learning disabilities). Sensory storytelling does not aim merely to accommodate these individuals, but to actively embrace and empower their perspectives. Frozen Light is one company dedicated to this, creating sensory theatre specifically designed for audiences with PMLD. In 2016, they were the first to perform this kind of show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In 2022, Cambridge Junction hosted a Frozen Light performance of 2065; a futuristic extravaganza combining a range of props and live music to tell a story of rebels resisting their dystopian world. In her review for The Stage, Tracey Sinclair applauded the design of the show to create: “an inclusive multi-sensory experience that caters for the widest possible audience”. I would like to echo this praise, as it is within this multifaceted mode of storytelling that endless opportunities for theatrical experimentation can arise, cultivating an inclusivity of perspectives among diverse audiences.

“Considering the rise of productions offering relaxed performances, I hope to see Cambridge theatre adopt similar practices”

At its core, theatre is not a static genre, but an embodied, lived, and communal experience. As such, the theatre community has a duty to foster diversity and inclusivity among its cast, production team, and the audience it caters for. There is much that we, as students, can learn from how sensory theatre balances visual, auditory, and tactile elements to create diversity in audience experience. For example, when a focus is given to both verbal and non-verbal communication – from spoken dialogue to sign language to physical expression – a performance not only becomes more accessible but also attends to the dynamic nature of its reception.

Considering the rise of productions offering relaxed performances, I hope to see Cambridge theatre adopt similar practices – from keeping house lights up, to softening visual or auditory special effects, to maintaining an open-door policy; details like these make a crucial impact in augmenting potential viewership. Even something as simple as offering a sensory guide can make an audience feel more at ease, especially for those with anxiety, sensory-processing difficulties, or additional needs. Performances like these don’t take away from theatre; rather, they enrich its artistic language and expand the scene for individuals who might otherwise not be able to access it.

Student theatre thrives on innovation, and the rich plurality of its interpretations. By attending to the sensory complexity of performance, we can begin to truly appreciate this diversity. The art of sensory theatre allows a production to differentiate itself, creating an intimate and inclusive atmosphere where every voice can be heard. Is this not what student theatre prides itself on?