'Pulse'- Bamboozle Theatre

On the 1^st Feb I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to sit in a relaxed performance of ‘Pulse’ by ‘Bamboozle Theatre’ in association with ‘Curve Theatre’, Leicester. Founded in 1994 by Christopher Davies and Sue Pyecroft, ‘Bamboozle’ draws on a range of drama in education techniques to create multi-sensory experiences for children with learning disabilities. This is a brilliant example of an accessible performance, with a fully sensory and interactive style, providing young children and those with additional needs the chance to lose themselves in a story.

Set in a dry 1930s America, where Patience and Bird are waiting for the rain, we are introduced to Clanky Jane, pushing what seems to be a pile of junk. But all it takes is a bit of percussion from her ‘Cloud-O-Matic’ and the heavens open.

Although the story line may seem simple, it was the perfect accompaniment to the inclusive techniques used, and not one section was boring for this group of schools in the audience with me, who were clapping and screaming with joy throughout. The company provided a deeply intimate experience, despite the audience of around 100, continuously immersing each child in the magic through their interactions, which included feeding the bird, being rained on (which really got some giggles going!), or having a simple chat in the auditorium.

The use of puppetry was very enjoyable, as ‘Bird’ was able to sit on children’s hands and become quite the comedic character, and I found myself forgetting there was an actor attached to it. This truly engaged the children, and it was lovely to watch how eager they were to feed him a handful of cornflakes and stroke his feathers.

I also have to commend the actors for their musical talents. Throughout the show we saw an array of instruments including an acoustic guitar, a banjo, a double bass, and even a kalimba, which were played beautifully to create a soothing and dream like melody, ideal for relaxing fidgeting children, or calming those with learning disabilities. The vocals themselves were also brilliant, particularly from the female lead, who performed with a softness and daintiness that proved  captivating for the whole audience. The cast made the songs further accessible with their use of sign language, which was a brilliant touch that was perfectly understated.

Despite it being for an audience described as having “profound and multiple learning disabilities and for small audiences of children on the autistic spectrum”, there were some notable theatrical techniques that didn’t go unnoticed. The simple technique of creating the cloud was a personal favourite, as well as the use of foley* from the supporting cast members. Even simple techniques, such as the audio, were done wonderfully, and I felt the whole thing was put together perfectly; not too over powering for children, but just enough that the adults would also truly enjoy the experience. My only wish would be that the actors use microphones, as sitting at the back of a busy theatre with lively children meant some of the words became lost, which was a real shame.

Overall, I would thoroughly recommend this performance to families with young children or those with learning disabilities. Its interactivity is perfect to stimulate a child’s brain, and even as an adult myself, I found that the 10:30am performance set me up for a happy mood all day. The company have worked extensively over the past 25 years with applied theatre, and their dedication really shines through. Congratulations on this success.







*foley describes the reproduction of sound effects which are commonly used in film to enhance the audio. For example, crunching lettuce to give the impression of snow, or breaking a branch to simulate breaking bones.