Wonderbox by Sensorium Theatre
Age Suitability – Recommended for ages 8+
Wonderbox is a multi-sensory immersive theatre performance created with and for children and young people with disability, and their family and friends. All performances of Wonderbox are relaxed performances, with audiences invited to sit or move around freely within the performance space and adjacent chill-out zone, which features comfortable seating and minimal sound. The performers use multi-modal communication including key signs, natural gesture, visual symbols and minimal verbal language. The show is highly visual with a rich aural environment and many opportunities for individual engagement and interaction through the senses.
Wonderbox is an inclusive show and Sensorium will adapt the work to the audience, as such we welcome interested audiences to call our friendly Box Office team to discuss their specific requirements when securing tickets.
The production has a strong music element and strong visual cues to assist audience members with their comprehension of the narrative. Wonderbox also provides high levels of audience participation.
Audience members are deliberately small. Each performance caters for up to 15 children and their carers. The space can accommodate up to 6 participants in wheelchairs.
Curiosity! Choice! Wonder! What’s inside the Wonderbox?
Sensorium Theatre – Australia’s only theatre company making work specifically designed for young audiences with disability, including those with complex support and communication needs and those on the autism spectrum plus their family and friends.
Wonderbox – invites children to roll the dice and set out along a safe, exhilarating pathway into the unknown. Inside a giant puzzle-box of illusions, kooky-carnival friends, with magic in their pockets, lead audiences into an immersive multi-sensory wonderland of fantastical large-scale projections, strange tiny delights, and infectious live music.
EVERY child’s curiosity is celebrated and rewarded with wondrous surprises. As boxes reveal boxes within boxes each child is given the opportunity to find a magical version of themselves. Inside the Wonderbox, micro moments of whole worlds in a matchbox lead into macro universes where EVERYONE, is invited to be wonderful!
All performances of Wonderbox are relaxed performances, with audiences invited to sit or move around freely within the performance space. The performance is suitable for children in wheelchairs as well as those who can’t stay still – they can interact and engage in any way they enjoy as long as everyone stays safe. There is an adjacent chill-out zone, which features comfortable seating and minimal sound. Performers use multi-modal communication including key signs, natural gesture, visual symbols and minimal verbal language. The show is highly visual with a rich aural environment and many opportunities for individual engagement and interaction through the senses.
Artistic Credits
Director & Designer Francis Italiano
Assistant Director Michelle Hovane
Musical Director & Composer Jamie David
Songwriting and Additional Composition Rebecca Bradley and Jamie David
Movement Director Daisy Sanders
Costume Designer & Associate Set Designer Amalia Lambert
Headpiece Design & Construction Mand Markey
Costume Construction Ellen Flatters
Specialist Props creation Minaxi May
Lighting Designer Lucy Birkinshaw
Audio Visual Designer & Projections Roly Skender
Creative Coder & Technical FX Steve Berrick
Dramaturgs & Devisers Francis Italiano, Michelle Hovane, Rebecca Bradley, Jamie David, Daisy Sanders
Rehearsal Director Rebecca Bradley
Performers Jamie David, Gabriel Critti Schnaars, Giri Mazzella, Gala Shevtsov, Francis Italiano and Michelle Hovane
Vocal Contributors Jamie David, Rebecca Bradley and Crystal Nguyen
Production Manager Joana Lavolé
Technical Manager Ben Nelson
Producer Sensorium Theatre
Tour Co-ordination Circuit West
Originally commissioned by the 2023 Perth Festival and produced by Performing Lines WA.
Proudly supported by the WA Government
Tickets & Venue Info
The BREC Box Office is open on Mon, Tue, Thu, and Fri from 10am to 4pm.
If you experience any difficulties booking tickets, please contact our Box Office Team on 1300 661 272.
ACCESSIBILITY For accessible bookings please contact our Box Office Team on 1300 661 272.
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“Sensorium Theatre ensures that each participant has ample opportunity to become familiar with the show before it begins. Every aspect of the show has its audience in mind and, considering the different needs that any given audience might have, this is a huge challenge. It’s also really important to rise to this challenge. With Wonderbox, Sensorium Theatre does just that. This production is a beautiful example of the inclusive potential of live theatre.”
Claire Trolio, Seesaw Magazine (Perth Festival 2023 Premiere)
“I am so extremely grateful that my child had this opportunity. It was a very special experience that I will remember for a long time.”
Audience member (Awesome Arts Festival, 2023)
“Sensorium Theatre has outdone themselves with Wonderbox. It’s a sensory explosion of creativity and wonder that left us spellbound. The way they transform the ordinary into the extraordinary is nothing short of magical. A must-see for all ages!”
Malibu Education Support school, WA