We offer high-quality immersive dance theatre to children and families that may not otherwise have access to live theatre. Audiences include neuro-typical and neuro-diverse children.
We support social change by promoting curiousity and positive awareness.
Diversity and Inclusivity lie at the heart of the work we create. We celebrate the richness of the society we live in and promote an inclusive appreciation of cultures. It is important that we bring the "unheard' voices to the stage and share their narratives.
CREATIVE TEAM
DEBBIE BANDARA
Debbie found her passion for dance at the Royal Academy of Dance training. This naturally led to work with Movement Angol, Breaking Cycles (UK), Yaye Dib Sabar and Soar UK.
Over 20 years UK and international touring of solo performance work and freelance company including Riverside Arts Theatre, Waterside Arts Centre, Contact Theatre, Unity Theatre, Night and Day, Nantwich Arts festival, One World Festival, Sweden and Spain.
Curiousity led to The Oily Cart where she performed and toured at The Lowry and JW3 London’s Jewish Cultural and Arts Centre, working closely with audiences with profound and multiple learning disabilities and on the Autistic spectrum. She is the former Associate Director for The Oily Cart and has choreographed previous shows, including Hush-A-Bye, Kubla Khan and Splish Splash.
She is also a passionate Forest School teacher, and run outdoor learning across the North West. Not to mention she has BSc(Hons) degree in Artificial Intelligence, so digitial delights is a must too.
She is also a "Leader of Tomorrow", an initiative from the Regional Theatre Young Director Scheme.
DAVID FREEDMAN
David is a blacksmith and sculptor with over 20 years experience. He specialises in metal and wood public realm creations for sculpture trails, gardens, exhibitions and interiors (including furniture). He has significant experience of innovative set designs for theatre and non-theatre settings.
He is also a script writer for many of the shows such as Prince of Fire. His work can be found on his websites: stuntcrow.com and
davidfreedmansculpture.com
SAM MORRIS
Sam's creation and composition of new music scores brings the magic into our shows. His collage of live and recorded music, are cleverly intertwined. He trained at Manchester University and has over 15 years professional experience as a talented bassist, French horn player, pianist, composer, arranger and teacher. In the commercial music industry he is a songwriter and session musician and has worked with, among others, Badly Drawn Boy, Snow Patrol, Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott, Marillion, and Jessca Hoop. In 2016 he created the music for the acclaimed Forest Tribe R&D production "Alluriat".
PURVI PARMAR
Purvi has been involved in theatre,music and dance from a young age and went on to graduate with a first class Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theatre from Pace University in New York City. Since then she has worked in both the USA and UK on both stage and screen, as well as creating her own work with Le Petit Artiste Theatre company. Much of her own created work incorporates music, movement, puppetry and making theatre accessible to those who may not always have the opportunity to experience it, a passion which she was thrilled to find Forest Tribe Dance Theatre shares! She is very excited to be involved with Alluriat and to bring such a magical piece to life!
TOM HARDMAN
Tom graduated in 2016 from UCLan's Acting course with a first class degree and has trained further in 'Theatrical Biomechanics' with Gennady Bogdanov in both Italy and the UK in 2014, 2016 and 2017. Theatre work includes several productions at UCLan such as 'Dying For It' and 'Scenes from the Big Picture' as well as fringe pieces such as puppetry show 'The Big C' and 'Burglars.' He also co-directs 'Dapertutto Theatre Company' who create original pieces of physical theatre. Credits outside of theatre include Archie in the BBC One drama ‘Our Zoo,’ Stee in BBC's ‘Doctors,’ a script pilot with Jonny Vegas, motion capture performance, voice recording for student radio and animations including RTS nominated animation 'Epilation' by Liam Springthorpe and a Northern Rail safety animation. As well as an actor he is currently expanding his portfolio as a director and teacher having been employed as a workshop leader in Biomechanics at UCLan and a drama coach for children and young people at Wildthings. Tom played the part of Rama and Ravana in our production Heart of Light.
ALEJANDRA BACELAR PEREIRA
Alejandra fell in love with theatre and acting at the age of 8, when she enrolled my first theatre school in Ourense (Spain). She started her professional acting career at Espazo Aberto Theatre School (Galicia - Spain) where she followed a 1year full-time training in Theatre and Dance.
From 2008 to 2014 she committed myself to her training as an actress: She studied Acting and Physical Theatre (BA - 4years full-time training) at Institut del Teatre of Barcelona (Spain) which includes a high level training in devising theatre, mime, puppetry, dance and classical and contemporary theatre. Meantime, she attended many workshops like Commedia dell'arte (Italy), Grotowski's technique (Barcelona), Bio-mechanics of Meyerhold (Italy). In 2014, she moved to Paris (France) for more than a year in order to study Decroux's Corporeal Mime at Atelier de Belleville.
She is based in London since 2015. Alejandra played the part of Sita, Ravana and Hanuman in our production Heart of Light.
ENVIRONMENT
Sustainability and climate awareness are integral to how we design and create our work.
Our workshops are powered by hydroelectricity with our very own archimedes screw.
TESTIMONIALS
"Theatre provides a much-needed dose of magic in an otherwise predictable and routine world. It is the only form of entertainment that has the ability to provide a multisensory experience for its audience. However, to find appropriate and accessible theatre for children with additional needs is a monumental challenge. It requires the writers and performers to appreciate the complex and broad needs of those who might attend their performances when they create their pieces, and this is no easy feat. The very nature of having special needs means these children can be a widely disparate group of individuals and it takes enormous skill to offer them an inclusive and enjoyable experience.
Forest Tribe Theatre Company have risen to this challenge and it has been a privilege to be asked to be part of their journey. As teaching professionals, we are constantly looking for ways to help our special needs children to access the vast array of cultural pleasures this world has to offer. Often, this must be done within the confines of the classroom and although technology can now allow students a wonderful visual and auditory experience in school, it lacks depth. Theatre can bring stories to life by awakening all of the senses, as well as providing feedback and interaction, which is essential if you are to reach children with additional needs. They are creating performances that will allow children to share a mutual experience but one that also allows treats them as individuals. An approach such as this is unique and exciting.
Forest Tribe Theatre Company have actively sought our input as they want to ensure they meet the needs of the children in their audience on every level. They have allowed us to be part of the development process and this collaboration has been highly beneficial. They have also been willing to embrace advice around the physical and sensory needs of the children and their challenges around communication and behaviour. This ultimately means that children can immerse themselves in the theatre experience in the certain knowledge that they are fully understood and that their diverse range of needs will be met.
The recent pandemic has limited the opportunities for children with special needs even further and this has highlighted the growing need to seek multisensory experiences for them. They deserve to access the magic of theatre but clearly require a very specialised approach towards it and this is what I believe Forest Tribe Theatre Company are going to achieve."
Nikki Hallam, Specialist Teacher Speech and Language, Springfield Special School