Considering he’s only just over a year old, Pickle is quite the theatre goer already (never let anyone tell you children are too young to watch theatre!). Back in February, we absolutely loved seeing Oily Cart’s In a Pickle production at Warwick Arts Centre and I’m delighted to share the news that they will soon be returning with another production: Mirror Mirror.

Oily Cart Mirror Mirror Image

Photo credit: Neal Houghton

Mirror Mirror has been especially developed for children and young people aged 3-19 years old on the autistic spectrum and for those with profound and multiple learning disabilities. There are two versions of the show, each one specifically tailored to suit one of these two groups and box office staff are on hand to help make sure you book into the right time slot for your child.

Capes at Oily Cart Mirror Mirror

Photo credit: Neal Houghton

[epq-quote align=”align-left”] Soft make-up brushes glide across faces, warm soapy water washes over skin, and mud-packs are massaged into hands in Oily Cart’s trademark intimate and hands-on style for children and young people with complex disabilities.[/epq-quote]The show takes place in a fully immersive, tactile beauty parlour, and although I’ve not seen the show, I can already imagine the potential for a really exciting sensory experience! With brushes, sponges and, of course, mirrors, twinkling lights and sweet-smelling perfumes, the characters will give each participant a pampering experience with a difference. It’s all been very carefully and cleverly thought out to maximise the experience for both types of audiences, and with a full-sized harp playing music to accompany the performance, it just sounds brilliant. I think we could all do with a spa day at this salon – I’m sure we’d all leave feeling uplifted and refreshed! The production is touring schools as well as mainstream venues, and I really hope as many young people get to experience this as possible.

Audience at Oily Cart Mirror Mirror

Photo credit: Neal Houghton

[epq-quote align=”align-right”]It’s a world of sparkling light and magical mirrors, complemented by the aroma of perfume, accompanied by live music from a full-sized harp.[/epq-quote]If you know someone who’d love this show, Oily Cart will be at Warwick Arts Centre on Tuesday 27th and Wednesday 28th June, and after this the tour continues to Canterbury’s Gulbenkian Theatre on 4th and 5th July and then the egg in Bath on 22 July. Their website has some lovely resources for parents and carers to download prior to their visit including a social story and a useful handbook for adults which has some really great tips including advising wearing a short sleeved t-shirt if possible and a tip to bring a favourite shiny or mirrored item! There’s even a pretty cool recipe to make your own bubble mixture… we’ll be trying that out ourselves, I reckon. Who doesn’t love bubbles?

Enjoying Oily Cart Mirror Mirror

Photo credit: Neal Houghton

I’d love to know if you’ve got tickets booked or are thinking about attending. It sounds absolutely incredible and I know you’ll be in good hands with Oily Cart. Although this performance isn’t really suitable for Pickle, we’ll definitely be keeping our eyes peeled for future production announcements that we can go to. We’re big fans, that’s for sure.