Cover Image: During the show. A participant at Kenwick relaxes in the sand dunes while playing the wave drum. Performer Joni Tham.

Oddysea, by Sensorium Theatre
Presented at AWESOME Festival
Middar Room, State Theatre Centre
30 September to 4 October 2025

As disability studies scholar Tobin Siebers argues in his seminal work Disability Aesthetics, “Disability serves as a master trope of human disqualification.” Theatre designed specifically for audiences (living) with disabilities therefore becomes an act of cultural resistance – a refusal to accept marginalisation as inevitable.

The broader implications of Sensorium Theatre’s work thus extend far beyond the realm of theatrical performance into fundamental questions about what social and cultural citizenship can look like.

Perth’s Sensorium Theatre creates live shows for young people living with disabilities. Founded in 2010 by co-Artistic Directors Michelle Hovane and Francis Italiano, its aim is to “improve the lives of children with disability by sparking their imaginations.” This artistic and moral imperative has resulted in a unique approach to multi-sensory theatre engaging children with multiple and complex disabilities and those on the autism spectrum. As Italiano states, “The ability to enjoy a story should be a right for all kids.” 

Unsurprisingly, Sensorium Theatre adopts a highly collaborative model, working closely with audiences to ensure each show is “tailored to children’s specific needs.” Hence its long-term partnership with Kenwick School, which hosts a workshop space called “The Imaginarium” where Sensorium can “go from creatively developing work to rehearsing it directly with children with additional needs.”

The company’s repertoire clearly demonstrates its commitment to collaboration and innovation. Following its second but arguably first standout hit Oddysea, Sensorium Theatre further pushed the definition of what inclusive theatre could mean with Whoosh! and most recently Wonderbox – the latter commissioned by Perth Festival and presently touring nationally after a sellout Hong Kong season.

Fundamental to the company’s inclusivity is the embedding of workshops and digital resources within each production. For example, before a show audiences can download a free app through which they can access social stories, videos, games, music clips and more, thus enabling kids safely and confidently to prepare for the experience.

Oddysea is set to return to Perth as part of Barking Gecko Arts’ AWESOME Festival, running from September 30 to October 4. First performed in 2015 and created in partnership with Performing Lines WA, it was nominated for a Helpmann Award and went on to tour extensively, including seasons at the Sydney Opera House and the Lincoln Center’s The Big Umbrella Festival in New York.

This interactive, multi-sensory tale takes children on a “hands-on journey through an oceanic world of touch, tastes, smells, live original music and visual storytelling.” The use of puppetry is especially striking, as Crab and Turtle embark on a big subaquatic adventure from beach to reef. Luxuriating on beanbag sand dunes, kids and their families are fully implicated in the narrative as performers adapt their style to individual children.

Italiano notes that while performances are often designed for mainstream audiences and then adapted for children with disabilities, Sensorium Theatre has “turned that on its head and created (work) specifically for these audience members that is a great experience for everyone.”

It is no exaggeration to say that Sensorium Theatre’s commitment to accessibility expands rather than diminishes its artistic integrity by leveraging constraint as a spur to greater creative problem-solving. Which is something we can all learn from. 

Odyssea is playing until 4 October as part of Barking Gecko’s AWESOME Festival. For more information, visit:
https://awesomearts.com/awesome-festival