We are Flute Theatre – we change the lives of autistic individuals and their families with our unique interactive productions of  Shakespeare. 

This campaign is asking for your support for vulnerable autistic individuals and their families including refugee families from Ukraine who really need your help to achieve a once in a lifetime dream.  

ANY DONATION IS WELCOME – YOU DO NOT NEED TO CLAIM A PERK!

Who we are

This year Flute Theatre will be ten years old. We started the company to create theatre that makes a genuine difference in peoples lives, a transformative difference that offers hope.  Our unique productions  place autistic individuals centre stage.   Up to 15 participants for each performance sit with the actors on the stage, and experience Shakespeare’s stories through sensory games, which everyone plays together. Each performance is adapted to the specific needs of the participants, however complex they may be.

Over the last decade we have travelled the world, performing our transformative productions of Shakespeare with autistic communities, with regular visits in Peru, Spain, US, Romania and with Ukrainian refugee families  in Bulgaria. Over these ten years we have developed  ‘Flute families’ in each  different country we work in,  families  where every autistic person is accepted for who they are,  loved and cherished for their talents and recognised for their beauty. 

In London we run a community project for autistic individuals aged 3-70 at the Riverside Studios; many in our community are non-verbal autistic people who would  have no opportunity to participate in social activities without Flute Theatre. Over the years the  project has grown into a haven of acceptance and aspiration.

To celebrate our tenth birthday we have a grand plan…

The Plan

This summer we are inviting all our communities of autistic individuals  from across the world to come together for our

International Shakespeare festival for autistic people

Riverside Studios London.   

August 5th-31st 2024

Audiences who are usually marginalised by autism will  travel to London to take centre stage in our  collaborative Shakespeare productions, performing with our multi-lingual company. We will adapt the language of the performances to the needs of the participants, with more than one language being spoken in any one performance if needs be.

Nothing like this has been attempted before. 

We need your help! 

To make this happen we need to raise £50,000 to support our global community of autistic participants to get to London to take part in the festival.

It is our plan to be able to cover the families travel costs and accommodation in London. 

Many of our autistic participants are from Ukrainian refugee families who will be completely unable to afford the trip without support. 

Your contribution will help an autistic individual and their family have the experience of a lifetime. 

Why trust us? 

Your contribution will be safe and trusted hands – we love what we do  and we have an excellent record in making our work  happen against all odds. Over these ten years we have  responded to people in need, adapting our theatre practice with speed and ingenuity where the need is greatest. 

When  COVID broke out we immediately adapted our work to be accessible online and from March 2020 to July 2021  we delivered 980 live online performances for one autistic individual at a time across four continents. 

Our personal heroes during lockdown are flute theatre. During this crisis they have helped us and the entire autistic community EVERY SINGLE DAY, WITHOUT FAIL.  Parent

When the war in Ukraine broke out we travelled to Bulgaria in May 2022 to the Open Doors Situational Centre in Sofia to perform with Ukrainian  refugee families who have autistic children, as well as using our performances for children suffering grief and trauma through displacement. Since then we have returned many times to perform with the children and their families creating bonds of friendship and trust that will last a lifetime beyond war. 

“Flute Theatre never let us down”  Ukrainian refugee

Since 2018 we have run our community project in London with autistic children and their families supporting the whole family and creating bonds that will last a lifetime. 

“I cannot stress this enough, this engaged entirely committed child was like no other version of my autistic son I have ever seen.” Parent 

“For the first time I forgot myself and was just there.”  Autistic participant 

“Flute are there for us when nobody else is. Their sessions have resulted in my autistic son  saying “hello” for the first time.” Parent 

“Every autistic child should have the opportunity to experience the magic of the Flute Theatre. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”   Teacher Tower Hamlets London 

Our Perks

ANY DONATION IS WELCOME-YOU DO NEED TO CLAIM A PERK!

Our unique perks are in Flute’s style, family oriented and kind. In our past campaigns we have learnt that donors like to get to know us so we are offering you:

Free tickets for our performances

An opportunity to sponsor a family 

Be assured 

Every penny raised will go toward making this festival happen. We will be able to use all funds raised to directly benefit autistic individuals and their families and offer them hope.

Finally 

We are a global family and long to bring every one of of these extraordinary human beings whom we have played with across the world together for our unique festival.

Please help us continue to make a difference in people’s lives by supporting this genuinely unique event for marginalised people. 

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