Oily Cart is a
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
-based national and international touring theatre company founded in 1981. The company specialises in creating original, immersive,
multi-sensory productions for babies and very young children under 5, and for children and young people who have profound and multiple learning disabilities, are on the
autism spectrum
The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...
, or are deafblind/multi-sensory impaired. The emergence of
Theatre for Early Years
Theatre for Early Years or TEY is a blanket term for theatrical events designed for audiences of pre-school children (aged under five or six years of age). TEY is considered to be a sub-category of Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA). TEY is known ...
(TEY) has been credited to Oily Cart and Theatre Kit. The company is a registered charity.
Background
Friends Tim Webb
MBE Mbe may refer to:
* Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo
* Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria
* Mbe language, a language of Nigeria
* Mbe' language, language of Cameroon
* ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language
Molal ...
, Claire de Loon and
Max Reinhardt
Max Reinhardt (; born Maximilian Goldmann; 9 September 1873 – 30 October 1943) was an Austrian-born Theatre director, theatre and film director, theater manager, intendant, and theatrical producer. With his innovative stage productions, he i ...
founded the company in 1981. The first production was ''Exploding Punch & Judy''. Oily Cart has produced and toured over 80 original productions to theatres, arts venues, schools, hospitals and hospices. Performances often take place in unusual settings, such as hydrotherapy pools, trampolines or up in the air. The company's name is a play on the name of the
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company is a professional British light opera company that, from the 1870s until 1982, staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere. Th ...
.
Productions
* ''Splish Splash'' (2018/2019)'','' a co-production with
National Theatre Wales
National Theatre Wales (NTW) is a theatre company known for its large-scale site-specific productions and its grassroots work with diverse Welsh communities. It is the English-language national theatre of Wales, and refers to Theatr Genedlaeth ...
performed in hydrotherapy pools for audiences with complex needs
* ''Light Show'' (2015/2016/2018), a show for audiences with complex needs which toured schools and arts venues across the UK and as part of
Lincoln Center's inaugura
Big Umbrella Festival “the world’s first month-long festival dedicated to programs for children on the autism spectrum and their families”
* ''Kubla Khan'' (2017/2018)'','' a multi-sensory adaptation of
Samuel Taylor Coleridge's epic poem
An epic poem, or simply an epic, is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants.
...
created in collaboration with charity Sense, and the company's first production with a version for young people who are deafblind/multi-sensory impaired
* ''In A Pickle'' (2012, 2015–17)'','' an adaptation of
William Shakespeare's
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
''The Winter’s Tale'' for 3 – 5 year olds commissioned by the
RSC
RSC may refer to:
Arts
* Royal Shakespeare Company, a British theatre company
* Reduced Shakespeare Company, a touring American acting troupe
* Richmondshire Subscription Concerts, a music society in Richmond, North Yorkshire, England
* Rock Ste ...
, which toured the UK and USA
* ''Baking Time'' (2003)'','' an early years show in which audiences were given fresh bread baked live on stage
* ''The Bounce'' (2014/2015)'','' developed with support from
Ockham's Razor, which was performed on trampolines for audiences with complex needs
* ''Something In The Air'' (2010/2012)'','' also created in collaboration with Ockham's Razor, which seated audiences with complex needs “in specially created ‘nest’ chairs raised into the air to fly in safety and comfort with the Ockham's Razor aerialists.”
Company management
Head of Design Claire de Loon left Oily Cart at the end of 2016. In January 2018, it was announced that Artistic Director Tim Webb and Musical Director Max Reinhardt would gradually step down over the next two years. In November 2018, the company appointed Ellie Griffiths as its new artistic director, and Zoë Lally as its first-ever Executive Director.
[{{Cite web, url=https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/2018/childrens-company-oily-cart-announces-management-restructure-co-founders-leave-nearly-four-decades/, title=Oily Cart announces management restructure following departure of co-founders, last=Hemley, first=Matthew, date=2018-11-22, website=The Stage, language=en-US, access-date=2019-08-20]
References
External links
Oily Cart official website
Theatre companies in London
Non-profit organisations based in London
Performing groups established in 1981