Directed by Kelly Hunter

COMPANY
Carina de Torres
Natasha Haward
Catherine Kay
Maria Maresca
Oliver McLellan
Juan Sanchez Plaza
Joshua Welch

CREATIVES
Director and Adaptor Kelly Hunter
Lighting Designer Craig West
Designer Alice Hallifax
Company Stage Manager Carina De Torres
Choreography Juan Sanchez Plaza

Finest Pericles of recent years

This unique double performance pushes the boundaries of what is possible for live Shakespeare performance in the 21st century, both in terms of audience reach and artistic vision.
Pericles for autistic individuals and their families is created using Flute’s founder and director Kelly Hunter MBE’s acclaimed Hunter’s Heartbeat method - a series of sensory games which allow participants to share how it feels to be alive and celebrate their identity. This work is a living practice that continues to change and respond to to engage with the production, along with those autistic individuals.
Flute Theatre’s Pericles is a full-scale production for general audiences that is informed by the company’s work with autistic individuals. The company share all the roles and play music live on stage.
Kelly Hunter MBE: “I created Flute Theatre to perform Shakespeare for audiences where the need for transcendence in theatre is greatest. With our double Pericles performances we offer a transformational experience to a genuinely inclusive audience who may not otherwise have the chance to attend. The story of people fleeing for their lives, losing loved ones at sea and experiencing miraculous reunions speaks loudly to our audiences today. To watch both shows allows an audience to see deeper into Shakespeare’s mysterious late play, and offers a unique way into Shakespeare’s ‘music of the spheres’.”
Parent of participant: “It was breath-taking, the way the actors adapted to incorporate what my autistic son was experiencing and communicating with his behavior into the performance. They entered his world rather than demanding that he enter theirs. I could relax because my son was with people who really “got” him and understood how to work with autism.”