Our Impact in 2025 - 2026
The Ancient Oak of Baldor
This major touring production reached 1,622 people with PMLD and 2,054 carers at 61 venues across England, Scotland and Wales over four touring seasons. There is very little cultural provision for people with PMLD, so we tour as widely as possible to provide this opportunity to as many people as we can, no matter where they live; we sold 94% of available tickets, with 36 venues selling out completely. We reached 10 venues we’d never visited before, and sold out at 5 of them. It’s clear that there is immense unmet demand for high quality accessible theatre made for the profoundly learning-disabled community.
Frozen Light make work for adults with profound learning disabilities, as there are virtually no opportunities for cultural engagement on offer for this group once they leave education. For ‘The Ancient Oak’ we explored adult themes of love and loss, with care and sensitivity to the needs and experience of our audiences. The performance wove an intricate, textured sensory world of folklore, nature and ceremony in the heart of the forest; audiences were invited to crunch, smell, taste, touch and listen as our skilled sensory performers guided them on this journey.
The response from our audiences was incredible, particularly highlighting these universal themes:
'Fab show - felt like a proper professional quality theatre performance, yet accessible to those with profound impairments. Respectful and not 'childish' like some things aimed at those with impairments are.'
Our high production values in visual and sensory design make a huge difference for our audience, providing a gateway into the experience and making them feel just as valued as any other theatre-goer:
'I didn’t feel like I was at a sensory session; I felt like I was watching a really high quality piece of theatre that also was accessible with a sensory element, and that is actually also powerful because again it shows the respect you have for these attendees. It’s the only thing I’ve ever been to I think where it was fully aimed at people with PMLD yet the quality didn’t lack.'
Our productions have a lasting impact, as SEND professionals take the experience back into their care setting:
'It was truly transformative in the way I think about communication and sharing experiences. As a social worker in a charity focussed on PMLD, I feel the experiential momentum from attending Frozen Light has changed the way I work. I am now working on a piece of work using the sky and a drum to correlate emotional experiences... all because of what I was welcomed to experience at the theatre show.'
The impact for our family audiences across the UK, who attend with a loved one, is immeasurable:
‘My daughter Laura is 36 and has severe learning disabilities we have never been to a show/live performance that meets her needs before and it was amazing. Thank you very much to all the cast and staff that made this a very special day for Laura.'
“Amazing. Everything was done to make Susie welcome and to offer her a complete sensory experience. The performers were absolutely fantastic and this is such a unique and special experience for my daughter. There is so little out there for her and this is just wonderful. Thank you.”
Spiral House
In 2025 we premiered our new large-scale venue takeover, ‘Spiral House’, at The North Wall Arts Centre, Oxford. This immersive production gives our audiences the experience of a nightclub or musical festival - environments they may never be able to access - by lending them the freedom to move between spaces with a variety of performances and creative activities on offer. The premiere was incredibly successful, and we were thrilled to bring it back to the New Wolsey Theatre in 2026 with even more sensory thrills to experience!
This project has our highest ever capacity, welcoming 51 people with PMLD alongside 95 carers in a single day at the New Wolsey. A unique project with massive impact, we’re in conversation with theatres UK-wide about hosting the largest ever immersive-theatrical–party for the PMLD community at their venue!
“Spiral House was a fantastic event. It was wonderful to see young adults with complex needs come together to enjoy a festival experience designed specifically for them. The venue was just right for the event and all the staff/helpers treated the young people with respect and care. I loved every minute. There seemed to be something for everyone, and it was great to be able to move freely between the areas. ”
The eccentric universe of ‘Spiral House’ includes a nightclub space, with a DJ spinning disco beats and performances from live bands, a sensory cocktail bar, storytelling sessions, one-on-one performance, interactive music workshops, sound installations and arts and crafts area. The provision of fully accessible Changing Places toilet facilities, chill out zone and picnic area means that visitors can relax for a full day and enjoy the extravaganza as their heart desires.
The Museum of Spirals
‘Spiral House’ was such a smash hit, it already has its own spin-off! The project’s intimate, one-on-one performance space ‘Museum of Spirals’ found its way to Norfolk and Norwich Festival 2026. Audience members were welcomed and guided by the charismatic Spiral Sisters into their precious archive of spirals large and small, to be touched, smelled, bounced, stretched and explored together.
In future we hope to transform the mysterious Museum of Spirals into a mobile performance space in a trailer, so we can bring this theatrical encounter to audiences with PMLD in areas that our touring productions can’t reach.
“Such a fun, exciting and sensory filled day with lots to experience and enjoy!”
Ballet Shoes
In 2025-26 we established an exciting new relationship with the Royal National Theatre on London’s Southbank, one of the UK’s iconic cultural institutions. We were invited to create a multi-sensory adaptation of the NT’s hit Christmas show ‘Ballet Shoes’, an adaptation of the novel by Noel Streatfeild, in a new version by Kendall Feaver directed by Katy Rudd. Across its Winter 2025-26 run we presented 4 performances for audiences with PMLD, inviting audiences up onto the Olivier Stage to experience the production’s incredible set, lighting and costume design, facilitated by Frozen Light’s sensory practitioners.
We’re absolutely thrilled that our sensory adaptation of ‘Ballet Shoes’ will be part of a major tour in 2027, reaching venues nationwide alongside the full National Theatre production. This collaboration is an incredibly significant moment, recognising that inclusion within mainstream arts and culture for people with profound learning disabilities is not only possible, but essential and long overdue.
“ Sheer delight. In a world where my son often feels overlooked- he was truly included, embraced and welcomed into this fantastic sensory experience.”
Fire Songs
‘Fire Songs’ is Frozen Light’s multi-sensory choral experience for people with PMLD. Before bringing the show to a venue, we work for months in advance with local singers to form the community choir who will sing their hearts out, producing the beautiful soundscape of the show. In 2025 ‘Fire Songs’ was performed for the third year running at Kings Place, London, to sell-out audiences, welcoming 35 people with PMLD accompanied by 55 carers and companions.
The impact of this project is felt profoundly by choir members; more than half of the singers in 2025 had participated in ‘Fire Songs’ for three years running!
'It’s no exaggeration to say I feel like I’ve had a mystical experience of sorts.. and loving how pieces of the songs just wonderfully pop out as I go about my day... it was a privilege to be a participant.' - Choir Member, 2025
“An extremely personal and intimate show that was entirely accessible to my son with PMLD. The cast were amazing at quietly and confidently engaging my son, and others, in the show using props that stimulated all the senses. I’ve never seen my son so engaged in anything before. My jaw hurt from smiling so much.”
‘Fire Songs’ brings together choir and audience members, two groups who may live nearby but might never meet, for a soulful shared musical experience. It’s an encounter that lives long in the hearts and minds of all who experience it.
Night Out in Nature
Frozen Light are working with the National Trust and English Heritage to explore how they can improve access for people with PMLD. Since 2022, we have been bringing our outdoor sensory installation, ‘Night out in Nature’ into the grounds of some of their most stunning sites. In 2025 we visited English Heritage’s Walmer Castle in Kent, National Trust’s Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire and Oxburgh Estate in Norfolk, selling out all available tickets and reaching 160 people with PMLD and 216 carers across all three locations. We hire a Mobiloo accessible toilet van for the day, so that our audience members can stay and enjoy the full day out.
As a result of our visits with ‘Night out in Nature’, the National Trust are considering more accessible alternatives to their gravel pathways. We aim that by demonstrating the positive impacts of accessible events and facilities, this project has a legacy reaching far into the future.
“This was a lovely celebratory, welcoming, inclusive event with fun, music and sensory exploration and friendly interactions in a new inspiring environment. A really valuable experience. Thank you so much!”
