Interview: Ellana Gilbert, Sensory Cinders

Running for a limited season at @sohoplace, Sensory Cinders will mark the first West End show and the first inclusive sensory pantomime specifically designed for audiences labelled with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD). With such a landmark production heading to London, we had to dive into a conversation about it and who better than Ellana Gilbert. Not only is she playing the title role of Cinderella in the production but she will be also making her West End debut.

Congratulations on your West End debut in Sensory Cinders. How do you think your previous experiences have shaped you in preparation for this opportunity?

Thank you! I’m so excited to be playing Cinderella in Sensory Cinders - the first EVER West End show for audiences with PMLD. Every actor hopes to be able to make work that is meaningful, and Sensory Cinders will be groundbreaking in terms of its impact on the progression of theatre.

Before working with Concrete Youth, I hadn’t had any experience working with children with PMLD, let alone creating a show for this audience! When I’m not doing an acting job I work in the charity sector for Telegraph Hill Centre, and my experience in supporting different communities made me keen to audition for this type of work. It’s been a wonderful learning experience and really inspiring in terms of the potential that Sensory Cinders has to develop inclusivity within the arts.

I graduated from Mountview during covid when most of our training had to be socially distanced or online, so it’s fantastic to be doing something that is so interactive and personal with the audience. In terms of the role of Cinderella herself, I had been preparing my whole life! She was who I wanted to be when I grew up, so this is certainly the closest I’ll ever get!!

Sensory Cinders has been specifically audiences with PMLD, how does it feel to be a part of it and how is it important from your perspective?

Performing in general is amazing. But performing for this kind of audience is next level. They take so much joy from even the smallest of moments, and they feel things so deeply. It’s the most rewarding kind of performance you can experience. The disabled community have been described as the most isolated and vulnerable members of our society, not just within the arts but in day to day life. 93% of our audiences will have never been to the theatre before. Earlier this week, the National Audit Office press release was published, stating that the Special Educational Needs system is not delivering better outcomes for children and young people, declaring the system financially ‘unstable’. It feels incredibly powerful to be delivering Sensory Cinders at this moment in time. Sensory Cinders is so important, and hopefully will have a knock on affect for accessibility in theatre.

How have sensory elements like sound, touch, and visuals been incorporated into the show?

The sensory elements are the crux of the show. People labelled with PMLD are sometimes described as sensory beings (as opposed to linguistic beings) so they access the world entirely through sensory communication. The show does use verbal communication, signed using Makaton, but the aim is that you should be able to tell the full story and every narrative beat through just sensory elements.

There are sensory elements throughout the show and every aspect has been thought out in that respect. For example there are pinecones that smell of the forest we are set in, and there’s glittery invitations to the ball with Makaton symbols that the audience receive when they arrive. We had a lot of fun experimenting with various sensory elements during our R&D at the National Theatre and Barnsley Civic. There was a day when we just tried out loads of different bath bombs from Lush - who are very kindly supporting the show with lots of free items.

There are four main sensory moments in the show that are classified as ‘intensive interaction’ which can be tailored and adapted depending on the audience members’ specific needs and circumstances. First, there is the moment with the dress transformation when the Fairy Godmother asks the audience to help her make an outfit for Cinderella to go to the ball, and the cast bring bits of Cinders’ rags to each of the audience members, inviting them to pull the fabric off to reveal her new outfit. Then there’s a magic potion which the Fairy Godmother makes using bath bombs and popping candy, and the audience are encouraged to smell it and feel the concoction bubbling. When they go to the ball, there is a bit where Mama Disco (our dame) demands there be more accessories, and the audience choose whether they each think beads or scarves are “in” by trying on the neon fashion items and feeling them. This idea of ‘having a choice’ is a really important theme and is highlighted again in a mirror sensory experience at the end of the show.

Sensory Cinders is also an actor muso production with stunning original music written by our musical director Guy Hughes. There’s lots of singing and different instruments that we play in close proximity to the audience members so that they can touch the instruments and even feel the vibrations as you play.

A lot of the sensory materials and props have been designed and developed by Henshaws Arts Centre who are a Yorkshire-based arts centre that support learning disabled visual artists. Concrete Youth have commissioned their learning disabled visual artists to work with our design teams, which means that our learning disabled audiences are experiencing sensory materials made by learning disabled artists.

What kind of research or preparation have you done to better understand the needs of an audience with PMLD?

Before we began the process, I read a lot of articles and handbooks with information about PMLD, but there’s only so much you can learn by reading. Everyone’s needs are so varying, so the best way to learn how to interact with our audience is just by doing it.

During the R&D process we would explore potential ideas and moments for the show, and then we would have care settings come into the rehearsal room for sharings where we could test out different options to see what worked and what didn’t for our audience. Daniel Swift (CEO of Concrete Youth and Producer), Phoebe Kemp (Creative Access Consultant), and Lauren Phillips (Assistant Producer/Support Worker) gave us great training at the beginning of R&D around how best to communicate, listen, and ensure that the interaction is consensual. We also met with sensory engagement specialist Joanna Grace, and sensory theatre artist and academic Dr Gill Brigg for a session on emotional engagement which was really insightful. It’s about really listening and tuning in to an individual; looking for any signs that they give and trying to learn what it means.

One of the best ways to engage with an audience member and make them feel at ease is by saying their name. We start the show with a name song where we ask what their name is and check if they are on the invite list to the ball. It’s a great chance for them to feel settled into the space and find out who we are and who we are going to be playing in the show.

How has your approach to portraying Cinderella changed in a production that focuses on sensory engagement?

Cinderella is the perfect story for our audience. She faces barriers all her life and wants to be able to go to the ball, to explore the world beyond, to learn and to grow up. Once she has the fairy godmother’s support and guidance, she realises she is capable of doing these things, she just needed to be given the chance. I hope that when playing Cinderella, she feels relatable and inspiring to our audience.

As an actor, you can often get in your head when the audience are watching you. But in sensory theatre, it feels like the roles are reversed. You, the actor, are watching the audience member all the time. It’s completely about them. It’s so different from the way you would normally do a show. But good different! I hope to incorporate the things that I have learnt in this project into all of the work that I do going forwards.

What challenges have you faced whilst working on the adaptation of this pantomime and how did you overcome them?

You have to be totally ready to adapt at any moment. It’s improvisation and thinking on your feet like you wouldn’t believe. Every show is so different depending on the level of audience interaction and how much they engage with specific moments. For example, when Cinderella is upset, sometimes our audience members will try to comfort me during the scene, or when Cinders doesn’t get an invitation, they’ll offer theirs to me instead! But it keeps things fresh for sure! I think knowing that the cast all have your back at every moment is so helpful for this. We really look out for one another and support each other through each moment.

Can you share a moment during rehearsals that stood out to you in terms of creating an accessible and immersive experience for the audience?

Our dress rehearsal was the first time that we did the full show with an audience. We’d done a run earlier that day without any audience, and it had been a bit eggy. But as soon as we had the audience in, it was magical. It felt like a whole new piece. At the moment in the show where Cinderella cries, someone in the audience tried to comfort me and said “I love you Cinders”. It was beautiful. When Sensory Theatre is done correctly, the audience go on the journey with the characters and feel utterly apart of it.

What message or feeling do you hope the audience, especially those with PMLD, will take away from Sensory Cinders?

The overriding message and theme that we want our audience to take away, is that they can have a choice. By having a choice, they are being seen and listened to and understood. We want this message to reach everyone in the audience, not just the children with PMLD, but their families, carers, and the industry and press who can help advocate for these kinds of performances in the arts, and by doing so help our audience members have a choice.

How has working on this production changed your perspective on inclusivity in theatre?

I’ve worked in theatres who have an access friendly show/relaxed performances during their run of a production, but it’s interesting to see that these kind of performances are so far from what is actually inclusive and appealing to audiences with PMLD. People often think they need to have the house lights on and have all the sound turned down, but a lot of the audience love loud noise and big lights. It’s about finding ways to gradually incorporate it, rather than all at once. It’s also the intensive interaction that makes the show land. When you are trying to relate with an audience who often don’t use language as a primary means of communication, who can be visually and/or hearing impaired, and physically disabled, it is vital that the interaction can be personal and up close, or else the message isn’t clear and they will disengage. Having worked on this show, there is so much more that theatres could be doing to incorporate inclusivity. By treating this work with respect and incorporating it into mainstream venues, we are treating people with PMLD with the same respect as any audience on the West End.

Why do you think sensory pantomimes are important for fostering inclusivity in the performing arts, and how do you hope to inspire other productions to follow suit?

It is so vital. There is such a need for this kind of work; the fact that the show was sold out before we even opened proves this! It’s wild that the first show for this audience is only coming to the West End now. Everyone deserves the chance to experience the theatre, and when better than at Christmas time? For most children in the UK, their first experience of theatre is a pantomime, so having a pantomime that is designed specifically for this audience is just magical. This kind of show requires a lot of research and understanding, so I think other theatres should be invested in bringing Concrete Youth and other companies like this into their venues. The Sensory Cinders team have spoken a lot over the past few weeks about advocacy for our audience members and giving them a voice. We have to respect and value people for who they are, and fight for equal rights. They deserve a West End experience that they can enjoy and relate to as much as anyone else does.

Sensory Cinders plays a sold out run at @sohoplace from 30 Oct - 5 Nov 2024.