Spotlight: Colour the Clouds

Mon 30 Mar, 2026

Colour the Clouds Theatre Company bring original stories, music and theatrical magic to children, young people and families across the Northwest and beyond. They have brought three different shows to us already and are back this Easter half-term! We spoke with Cat about creative processes, accessibility and inspiration.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and Colour the Clouds? 

Hi, my name is Cat. I am a composer and producer for Colour The Clouds Theatre Company.  We have been creating theatre for children and family audiences since 2013.  All our work is original from the stories to the music, and we are passionate about audience engagement with our work and love making shows where they can go home and ‘recreate’ things that they have seen. 

Your company has returned to this theatre several times with different productions. What keeps bringing you back, and how has the relationship with the venue evolved over time? 

We LOVE bringing our work to Shakespeare North Playhouse!  We were thrilled to be invited to bring Little Penguin’s First Christmas over for Christmas 2024, and then Little Bear and the Christmas Lights last Christmas.  We have also brought some of our storytelling shows over and love the versatility of the spaces from the Sir Ken Dodd Performance Garden to the Studio, and of course, the Bar & Kitchen!  It’s got a lovely welcoming atmosphere, and we feel very much at home here.  We feel privileged to have been part of the growth of the venue over the last few years and are excited to bring our new show, Wren’s World to your wonderful audiences. 

Could you walk us through your creative process, from the earliest idea to what audiences will see on stage? 

Wren’s World has been around 3 years in the making, from the initial idea to the show that you will see. 

Our company members are all parents of neurodivergent children, and this show about the beauty and challenges of the relationship between Wren, who is Autistic and Robin, her Neurotypical sister, is especially important to us.  We have been fortunate enough to receive Arts Council funding which has enabled us to have a long period of research and development, including working with local families, schools and charities with lived experience of neurodivergence.  Last year we held a sharing of some of our initial ideas for character development and story ideas, and we are working with a focus group of young autistic students and two fantastic actors to edit and rework the script ready for the performances.  

What have been some of the biggest creative challenges while making new shows, and how did you overcome them? 

Because of the nature of the project, and not wanting to just focus on the fun, playful moments, but the difficult times too, we have met lots of challenges –  the creative process of scripting, plus adding technical elements like projections and music/ sound and then staging and performance direction have been worked and reworked until we have felt like we are striking the right balance. 

We have been working with a ‘jinxy’ set designer, and animation and technical specialists who are helping to bring Wren’s world to life with projection mapping!  This, along with the music, has given us another dimension to work with, meaning we can convey Wren’s thoughts and feelings without always using dialogue.  

How do you balance storytelling, design, and performance to create the immersive worlds your productions are known for? 

We have always worked collaboratively so that the ideas for the story and what we want the audience experience to be like are coming from the same place.  Once we have the first draft and the storyline in a shape that we are all happy with, then we can start to think more about the design, the music and interactive elements. 

What first sparked the idea for Wren’s World/ what themes or questions does Wren’s World explore, and why do they feel particularly relevant right now? 

We wanted to draw on our experiences as parents of neurodiverse children to tell a story that felt more representative than existing shows that feature an autistic character, who tends to be white, male, and be brilliant at maths or science.  We wanted our protagonist to be female, as autism in girls is so often overlooked due to their ability to mask so well.  The themes of change, difference, tolerance and kindness run through the show. 

For audiences who may be discovering your work for the first time, what do you hope they take away from Wren’s World? 

Our three main aims for this show are; that neurodivergent young people feel better represented and that the theatre is a place for them, for families with Neurodivergent children to feel seen, and for people with little or no experience of Neurodivergence to have a better understanding of what Autism can look like.  The message is about kindness. 

Accessibility is an increasingly important conversation in the arts. How does your company approach accessibility when creating a new production? 

We are mindful that accessibility needs can apply to the creative team as well as the audience, so we always try hard to meet the needs of the team to ensure the best working environment.  We are always learning and adapting how we work, and are proud that as a company, all of our shows are relaxed performances.  For Wren’s World, we have been working with Ash Cox as accessibility co-ordinator and they have been helping us to with access before the performances, for example creating a ‘What to Expect’ guide for audiences.  Also, they have helped us to explore where we can be more inclusive in the show itself, for example, using some creative captioning to describe what is happening, or highlight important words in the script. 

What specific accessibility features will be available for audiences attending Wren’s World? 

The ‘What to Expect’ guide to Wren’s World will be available for audiences before they attend, so they have prior knowledge to best prepare for their theatre trip. Performances are relaxed, so the audience can move around or leave and re-enter the theatre at any point. There will be a relaxed introduction which includes the actors coming onto stage to introduce themselves and inform the audience of any potentially upsetting scenes, reassuring them that everything is okay.  The lighting will never go completely dark, and the sound levels will be explained to the audience during the relaxed introduction.

How do you consider access needs during the creative process rather than adding them later? 

It is really important that we include accessibility from the very beginning of the creating process, in order for it to be as important a part of the work as the other elements of the show.  Working with an Access Consultant to support this process has been hugely helpful with this.  In Wren’s World, we are using creative captioning and visual vernacular for the first time, and we have been really surprised at how many ways we have been able to include this – everyone should be doing this! 

From your perspective as theatre-makers, what changes would you most like to see in the wider theatre industry when it comes to accessibility? 

We love watching shows that have a relaxed introduction! We would love more theatres, companies, and audiences themselves to be more inclusive and welcoming of all audiences.  It does feel like there’s a positive shift at times, but for this to be the standard when it comes to theatre etiquette, that’s the dream! 

For audiences who may feel theatre isn’t traditionally “for them,” what steps do you suggest to make new work welcoming and inclusive? 

A lot of people think they might not have the budget, time or skills to make things fully accessible, but we have learned through making Wren ‘s World that it’s okay if you can’t do everything, just doing some is better than not doing anything. 

We hope that more and more people feel included and represented and welcome at the theatre.