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Performances for autistic people | August 2025

A performer sits beside a young girl in an intimate theatre setting, engaging her in a calm and focused interaction while surrounded by percussion instruments.

The Tempest for autistic people

"Groundbreaking Shakespeare"

The Guardian

October 2016

Two performers passionately act out a scene with two audience members on stage, creating an inclusive and immersive atmosphere.
A lively moment on stage as a performer energetically gestures while another, dressed in white, joins the expressive storytelling, with audience members watching closely.
A smiling young man interacts with a performer in a warm, inclusive moment under soft stage lighting.
A performer lies dramatically on the floor, holding colorful fabric, while other cast members crouch and watch intently, enhancing the sensory-rich performance.

Previous Performances

The Courtyard Theatre, Stratford upon Avon July 2014

The Wexner centre Columbus Ohio July 2014

Bloomsbury Theatre, Bloomsbury Festival, October 2015

The Help Centre, Los Angeles US, May 2016

Festival de Clasicos en Alcala de Henares, June 2016

Festival of Love, Southbank Centre, July 2016

Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond UK, October 2016

Teatre Lliure, Barcelona, March 2017

Riverside Studios, London April 2022-August 2023

The Old Market Theatre May 2022

Craiova International Shakespeare Festival Romania April 2023

Situational Centre for Ukraine. Sofia Bulgaria May 2022-April 2023

Teatro La Plaza, Lima Peru September 2023

Festival Tanar de Sibiu at Teatrul Gong, Sibiu Romania, November 2023

Adapted and Directed by Kelly Hunter

Original Design Anthony Lamble

La Tempesta, Barcelona (2017)

A group of performers and participants stand in a circle on a dimly lit stage, engaging in an interactive moment of La Tempesta in Barcelona (2017), surrounded by soft, warm lighting and a painted floor design.
Kelly Hunter

"I made this show in 2014 based on sensory games I had started to invent in 2003, so it was a long time coming. At the centre of the show is a game where Miranda teaches Caliban how to say his name and “how to name the bigger light and how the less that burn by day and night”. This scene isn’t in Shakespeare’s original play but is so vividly spoken of by Miranda and Caliban within the scenes and is one of the first games I ever invented for autistic individuals, empowering them with the opportunity to be the “teacher”. I have continued to direct this production around the world in many different languages for the last nine years, most recently at Teatro La Plaza in Lima Peru. With each new production, the show develops depending on the responses to the games of the autistic individuals and the talents and creativity of the actors, especially in the realm of the music. Notably in 2017, I directed the show in Catalan at Teatre Lliure, an experience that totally changed my life and gave me renewed confidence that these productions for marginalised audiences could be an ongoing endeavour. The Catalan actors literally opened up my own musicality and showed me “riches, ready to drop upon me”.

Founder & Director

Kelly Hunter

A diverse group of performers energetically engage in a live Flute Theatre performance, using expressive gestures and movement on a dimly lit stage. The actors wear casual, comfortable clothing in natural tones, creating an inclusive and accessible environment tailored for autistic individuals. This performance, inspired by Shakespeare and adapted using the Hunter Heartbeat Method, highlights Flute Theatre’s commitment to neurodiverse storytelling. Audience members can be seen watching with interest in the background. Flute Theatre also offers training and courses for actors, educators, applied theatre students, and families to support autism-friendly performance practices.

Support our Theatre

Funding for the arts is currently said to be at a ‘terminal decline’ but we will continue to create our life changing opportunities whatever the challenges.  Please help us continue with a one off donation or a monthly subscription. Your donations go directly toward our performances with marginalised people and always will.

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