We want to inspire a fascination and love of theatre for all children, and in 2022 we took The Iguanodon Restaurant theatre show to Yewstock Community School. Following a performance for the whole school, over 3 days our cast worked with teachers and students to create ‘The Iggy Experience’. We are looking for special schools in Dorset and Somerset who would like a visit from Iggy.

‘The Iggy Experience’ is a tactile, hands on 40 minute workshop that broadly introduces children with special needs to the workings of the show, on stage and backstage. Working with groups of 10, each of our artists takes 3 children and a teacher around the Iguanodon. Inside Iggy, operate his head, the props at the banquet table, and see how Iggy is powered. They then go backstage to dress up in costumes, wigs and hats, before climbing into Iggy’s belly to deliver a short performance with Vic and Jacob before descending the stairs. Wheelchair users, and those less confident with steps, are supported to perform around the front of the dinosaur. At the end of the 4 days teachers commented ” Just great! Couldn’t have asked for more! Pupils all engaged in at least one element of the workshop! So many smiles! Come back again anytime.”

In 2024 -25 we plan to tour Iggy for All to 6 special schools in Dorset and Somerset. (Get in touch if you’d like to be one of them, sarah@emeraldant.com).

In each school we would spend 3 days, performing the show than working with around 120 children.

The project will link small local museums to special schools, stimulating collaboration and learning opportunities. Museums will be invited to bring fossils for the children to handle, so they can learn about natural history. Through a further package of support museum volunteers will plan arts workshops around their collections that are disabled-friendly. We will also look at access issues and provide support for museums to market to disabled networks. The work will lead to a Fun Day that features an arts-heritage workshop linked to 2 family performances of the Iguanodon Restaurant.

We will be applying to the Arts Council of England for funding, as well as Dorset Performing Arts Fund.