A story of two beings seeking safety in the woods, with just the clothes on their back and one small suitcase. After years of isolation, our WILD ONES have not just forgotten who they once were, but also forgotten their manners! Within this sensory theatre experience, each audience of children and young people who have complex needs helps reconnect the WILD ONES with the life, memories, passions, and joys that came before.
With music inspired by swing dance, WILD ONES celebrates the joy of reconnecting with people, with our past, and with the playfulness that lives inside all of us.
WILD ONES was created and performed by Brona Jackson and produced by Replay Theatre Company as part of its inclusive theatre programming for children with profound and multiple learning disabilities. WILD ONES was performed by Brona Jackson, Chris Grant, and Tierna McNally, featuring music composed by Bobby Cole. Throughout the process of development of the show, Andrew Stanford, Replay’s Director of Inclusive Theatre, also provided mentorship to Brona.
In the Summer of 2023, WILD ONES became the first show to be part of Replay’s NI Artist Development Fellowship. WILD ONES toured across 11 special schools in Northern Ireland, as part of their summer school scheme, during July and August 2023, serving children with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) ages 5 to 15. We ran 45 shows, serving 4 children per performance, for an approximate total of 180 children and young person positively impacted by Wild Ones.
Full of wonder, attentive, joyful, curious, anticipation. When we consulted the adult companions, usually school staff, on their own experience at the show, 86% of them reported that they loved it! They added that the show provided opportunities for them to connect with the child (71%), to feel happy, (67%), to relax (62%), and all of the above (52%), including gaining knowledge about the child and connecting with their own childhood.
I was amazed at one of our pupils positive interaction with the hammock swing and how greatly the pupil could operate this independently. Great to know for future ideas to implement for self-regulation. Participants also provided feedback on the children’s experiences at the show. For 62% of them, Wild Ones provided an opportunity for the children to feel happy, 47% reported that allowed them to connect with others, and 38%, to express themselves. For 67% of them, Wild Ones allowed them to do all the above and relax as well!
One of the children in my class finds it difficult to stay engaged in most activities, she sat for the whole experience and loved every minute of it.
According to our audience, WILD ONES brought great value to the summer school scheme. 95% of respondents reported that the show brought them joy and provided a safe space. They also indicated that Wild Ones provided time to relax and play (90.5%), an opportunity to co-experience a new environment (85.7%), as well as an opportunity to learn and experience new things (81%).
“Yous were amazing 👏 visiting your show was like stepping into a world through the eyes of our pupils. It gave me a chance to experience the world in a new way. I hope there is a future opportunity for Replay theatre to come back and visit Riverside again soon.”
For more information on WILD ONES, please contact: Brona Jackson, bronajackson@hotmail.co.uk and Cristal Palacios at cristal@replaytheatre.co.uk