Snuggleplay

Grant Awarded: $100,000

About

Snuggleplay will be a multi-sensory theatre work for babies with disability and their families. Recognising the additional challenges of having a baby with additional needs – Snuggleplay will be a warm playful hug that nurtures and supports parents whilst focussing on each child’s strengths to build neurologicalconnections through creative multi-sensory play. Co-Artistic Director Michelle Hovane is joined by experienced dance artists and somatic educators Alice Cummins & Jacqui Otago and composer musician Thea Rossen who will test their ideas in community co-design workshops with families who have babies with disability. We will then commission set, props and costumes and test show again with families and their babies. The work, which will premiere in October 2025, will have a highly mobile version which can be performed in community spaces and a more elaborate set for theatres and festivals aimed at inclusive performances for all families and their babies. Image credit: Jessica Wyld

Snuggleplay will be a multi-sensory theatre work for babies with disability and their families. Recognising the additional challenges of having a baby with additional needs – Snuggleplay will be a warm playful hug that nurtures and supports parents whilst focussing on each child’s strengths to build neurologicalconnections through creative multi-sensory play. Co-Artistic Director Michelle Hovane is joined by experienced dance artists and somatic educators Alice Cummins & Jacqui Otago and composer musician Thea Rossen who will test their ideas in community co-design workshops with families who have babies with disability. We will then commission set, props and costumes and test show again with families and their babies. The work, which will premiere in October 2025, will have a highly mobile version which can be performed in community spaces and a more elaborate set for theatres and festivals aimed at inclusive performances for all families and their babies. Image credit: Jessica Wyld

Snuggleplay will be a multi-sensory theatre work for babies with disability and their families. Recognising the additional challenges of having a baby with additional needs – Snuggleplay will be a warm playful hug that nurtures and supports parents whilst focussing on each child’s strengths to build neurologicalconnections through creative multi-sensory play. Co-Artistic Director Michelle Hovane is joined by experienced dance artists and somatic educators Alice Cummins & Jacqui Otago and composer musician Thea Rossen who will test their ideas in community co-design workshops with families who have babies with disability. We will then commission set, props and costumes and test show again with families and their babies. The work, which will premiere in October 2025, will have a highly mobile version which can be performed in community spaces and a more elaborate set for theatres and festivals aimed at inclusive performances for all families and their babies. Image credit: Jessica Wyld

Impact

The community of families with babies with disability will benefit by having access to a very high quality arts experience that will positively influence how they experience the world with their little one. The project will support families to connect with one another through the work and also enrich the approach and positively impact the community of professionals and playgroup leaders involved in early intervention. Sensorium has been offering Sensory Rhyme Times to this community (6 to 18 months with disability or developmental delay) for the past 6 years in specialised disability specific playgroups as the need for positive joyful play experiences for their whole child development is recognised Sensorium. We will be building on these strong relationships to recruit a group of volunteer participants to be part of this first creative development exploration and process. We will again draw on these strong relationships for the pilot phase in September 2025. Additionally, our ongoing relationships with disability service providers, libraries and community centres will ensure that we are able to continue to connect with the target audience in an effective way.

The community of families with babies with disability will benefit by having access to a very high quality arts experience that will positively influence how they experience the world with their little one. The project will support families to connect with one another through the work and also enrich the approach and positively impact the community of professionals and playgroup leaders involved in early intervention. Sensorium has been offering Sensory Rhyme Times to this community (6 to 18 months with disability or developmental delay) for the past 6 years in specialised disability specific playgroups as the need for positive joyful play experiences for their whole child development is recognised Sensorium. We will be building on these strong relationships to recruit a group of volunteer participants to be part of this first creative development exploration and process. We will again draw on these strong relationships for the pilot phase in September 2025. Additionally, our ongoing relationships with disability service providers, libraries and community centres will ensure that we are able to continue to connect with the target audience in an effective way.

The community of families with babies with disability will benefit by having access to a very high quality arts experience that will positively influence how they experience the world with their little one. The project will support families to connect with one another through the work and also enrich the approach and positively impact the community of professionals and playgroup leaders involved in early intervention. Sensorium has been offering Sensory Rhyme Times to this community (6 to 18 months with disability or developmental delay) for the past 6 years in specialised disability specific playgroups as the need for positive joyful play experiences for their whole child development is recognised Sensorium. We will be building on these strong relationships to recruit a group of volunteer participants to be part of this first creative development exploration and process. We will again draw on these strong relationships for the pilot phase in September 2025. Additionally, our ongoing relationships with disability service providers, libraries and community centres will ensure that we are able to continue to connect with the target audience in an effective way.