FEEL ME
Made in Partnership with Theatre Centre.
A Co-Production with New Wolsey Theatre.
Supported by Padepokan Seni Bagong Kussudiardja (Indonesia) and The Point Eastleigh
Available for international touring from autumn 2025
A stunning mixture of live performance, film, projection, dance and music, Feel Me explored the different lenses through which we are told, and connect to stories in the modern digital world.
In the show worlds unfold from backpacks, and tents are constructed and dismantled again, each scene and location temporary, like a transient teenager in search of safety, acceptance and a new place to call home. An interrogation of empathy, Feel Me asks what makes us ‘feel’ for another person, as audiences journey through landscapes and across borders, through weather storms and paperwork, changing seasons, endless queues and interviews.
Feel Me seeks real world impact and action: as active participants within the show, audiences are gently and anonymously asked to share how they feel about the story they are witnessing at different moments, and to consider who they connect with, who they feel empathy for and why.
This is measured using innovative software accessed by the audience during the show in a series of collaborative ‘check-in’ moments, with results creatively shared live as part of the performance.
Supported by academics from Essex University a study of the impact of the show on our audiences and their empathy levels showed that:
77%
73%
72%
97%
At the outset, nearly 60% of audience members said they found it ‘difficult’ to imagine themselves in the position of the characters. However, by the end of the show, 87% of respondents said that society should do more to support people in the position of the characters.
A month after the show, 82% of respondents reported that the show had impacted their awareness and experience of empathy.
The tour of Feel Me concluded at Padepokan Seni Bagong Kussudiardja in Indonesia in February 2025 – an apt venue to end, with The Paper Birds and (PSPK) having worked together in a four year partnership on the R & D of the show. We collaborated on a number of digital projects, including The School of Hope and Empathy Spaces and worked with young people, artists and audiences as part of the development process for the show.
In addition to live captioned performances of Feel Me, which saw us integrate a local performer into the cast, we also delivered workshops, live streamed the show across the world and took part in cultural trips and professional development networking. Check out our mini documentary below to find out more.
Feel Me is now available for further international residencies and tours, please contact Charlotte to discuss in more detail.
🎞️🎥 TateCreations 📸 Will Green Photography
