Creating Community
Our Sensory Home
In Winter 2024-25, Frozen Light got the keys to Carrow House, Norwich, having been leased a premises by the City Council. And in January 2025 we were delighted to throw those doors open to our local profoundly learning-disabled community. This space has become a shared resource, hosting a wealth of sensory activities for people with PMLD run by Frozen Light practitioners and other artists, alongside R&D for our productions, visits from sensory theatre-makers from across the UK, social events and mentorship programmes.
Our Sensory Home is a hive of activity and a beacon of inclusive practice which we hope will influence the wider cultural sector across the UK.
“Having an accessible space which is open and calm for learning disabled adults to come and
just be themselves in, with the help of Musical Keys and Frozen Light there is space and
opportunities provided to access the world.”
The Sensory Studio
The Sensory Studio is Frozen Light’s groundbreaking research project, where we’ve been pushing the boundaries of creative inclusion since 2021. Within a beautifully designed sensory tent, we work regularly with 4 local Norwich-based adults with PMLD as paid artistic collaborators. The Sensory Studio Artists have been part of the core creative team on the last 3 productions, including our multi-sensory adaptation of the National Theatre’s ‘Ballet Shoes’, which was performed for an audience with PMLD on the Olivier Stage in January - February 2026. The Sensory Studio Artists also joined us at the Off West End Awards Ceremony in February 2024 when we were nominated for production, ‘The Bar at the Edge of Time’.
The Sensory Studio continues to be at the forefront of innovative inclusive practices, and we are working with a Phd researcher to document and share our learnings. In 2026-27 we are working with each individual artist to support them in leading their own creative project.
“Every time we come to the Sensory Studio we learn something new - from the Frozen Light team, visiting artists or from our friends. At Frozen Light Lydia and her friends are accepted for the amazing young women they are with their own way of expressing themselves and exploring the world around them. Frozen Light has a real talent for creating work which makes theatre completely accessible.”
Sensory Sessions
The Sensory Sessions are fortnightly creative sessions hosted in Frozen Light’s studio, and led by local artists from a range of different backgrounds and disciplines. We wanted to offer our local PMLD community access to a broader range of creative experiences than our team alone could provide, and so in May 2026 we ran a training programme for 11 local artists, who are now leading the Sensory Sessions programme over the next year.
Sessions are free to access, and spaces are limited to 6 people with PMLD alongside their carers to ensure that each individual receives the time and space to be able to engage according to their needs and enthusiasms.
Artist Residencies
In 2026 Frozen Light launched our Artists’ Residency programme; our way of supporting the growing sensory theatre sector to nurture their sparks of creativity and turn them into new performance work for audiences with profound and multiple learning disabilities. We know from our own ticket sales on tour, that there is an incredible demand amongst audiences UK-wide, and this is our way of encouraging other artists to meet that demand.
Across 2026-27, we’re hosting four residencies by sensory theatre practitioners and companies; each one receives a week in our studio, a commission, mentorship from the Frozen Light team, and the opportunity to collaborate with the Sensory Studio Artists to test out their ideas and gain feedback.
A Community Hub
Since getting the keys to Carrow House, we have always aimed for the space to be a shared resource which truly serves the needs of the PMLD community in Norwich. Safe, friendly spaces for relaxed socialising with peers, forging new friendships and connections, and meaningful activities are sadly rare for this community, due to obstacles with physical access, attitudinal barriers and a lack of public understanding. We share our studio spaces with inclusive music charity Musical Keys, who run regular weekly music sessions for learning disabled adults and young people. Through our combined activities, a regular group of visitors has formed who come to play music, access sensory activities, and hang out together.
In March 2026 we were thrilled to open a new Changing Places toilet. Changing Places are enhanced disabled facilities with additional space for more than one carer, a change bed and hoist, vital equipment for people with PMLD and many others in the disabled community. This new addition to our Sensory Home has had an immediate impact, enabling visitors to stay longer and extend their day rather than returning home immediately. Changing Places is a perfect example of how concrete adaptations can make such a difference to feelings of wellbeing and connection.
“Harry loves using the kitchen to have his packed lunch on a Monday, he loves talking to everybody.”
Our Sensory Home isn’t just a space for creativity (although there is a lot of that!) - it’s also an invaluable social space full of familiar faces, where our visitors with PMLD and their carers can relax and connect.
“Having a Changing Places available when visiting Frozen Light is a huge deal! Nobody wants to be stuck somewhere where they cannot use the toilet. Wherever you go, you want facilities and it shouldn’t be different to others. It also means there is no stress about worrying where to change or that you have to go home.”
