Feel Me is our interactive theatre show, which premiered in autumn 2023. The show asked via our audiences’ mobile phone, who and what they care about from the stories unfolding live on stage in front of them.

A stunning mixture of live performance, film, projection, dance and music, Feel Me explored the different lenses through which we are told, and connect to stories in the modern digital world.

In the show worlds unfold from backpacks, and tents are constructed and dismantled again, each scene and location temporary, like a transient teenager in search of safety, acceptance and a new place to call home. An interrogation of empathy, Feel Me asks what makes us ‘feel’ for another person, as audiences journey through landscapes and across borders, through weather storms and paperwork, changing seasons, endless queues and interviews.

Feel Me seeks real world impact and action: as active participants within the show, audiences are gently and anonymously asked to share how they feel about the story they are witnessing at different moments, and to consider who they connect with, who they feel empathy for and why. This is measured using innovative software accessed by the audience during the show in a series of collaborative ‘check-in’ moments, with results creatively shared live as part of the performance. Supported by academics from Essex University a study of the impact of the show on our audiences and their empathy levels showed that:

* Suitable for ages 13 years+.

* Feel Me includes integrated captions.

* The show contains mild strobing in the projections, loud noises and atmospheric haze.

* We use cameras in the show to stream what is happening in the auditorium on screens onstage, but this is not recorded or used outside of today’s live performance

* Approx. 80 minutes (no interval)

*  Mobile phones are integral and used throughout the show to interact with the performers, making decisions about what is important to us from the stories that unfold on the stage. Keep your phone on, but please put it on silent.

*  At certain points during the performance, we’ll ask the audience to interact via their phone. We’d love for everyone to take part in this, but it is optional and will not affect audiences understanding of the show.

* If you choose to take part, all answers are anonymous. You’ll be asked questions about what you’re watching, and how you feel.

You can find out more by downloading the Freesheet here

Content Warning

Please note Feel Me contains scenes, images and interactive questions relating to the refugee experience that some people may find upsetting.

Feel Me was devised in conjunction with the original performers: Lil McGibbon, Daz Scott and Kiren Virdee