SONAS Project
Sharing our Notions and Stories
Sonas is a theatre-making project that engages with joy and creativity with children and adults who have additional physical and intellectual needs.
Our project offers free access to theatre-making for children, young people and adults in Newbridge.
Collaboration
The programme is a collaboration between Crooked House Theatre Company and two local partners. One is KARE Centre Newbridge, with whom we have run theatre workshops since 2023. The other partner is St Mark’s School in Newbridge with whom we have run weekly drama classes with children in the school since 2024.
The drama workshops focus on simple yet effective exercises that include movement, imagination stimulation. The facilitators use devising as a way of creating scenes, characters and dramatic situations with people with special needs.
It began as a 6-week project in 2023 that was so successful we have created an annual programme. Each year there is a performance from the Kare group in Riverbank Arts Centre or a local venue.
Programme
Each year there are between 26 and 30 workshops, 2 hours in length, once a week from September to mid-June (with breaks on bank holidays, Christmas and Easter).
The activities are designed to create a safe and engaging space where participants can express themselves freely. The aim of the workshops is to include individuals who have fewer opportunities to participate in the arts due to their physical, intellectual, or developmental challenges.
By providing an accessible creative environment, the programme supports participants’ emotional well-being, encourages social connection and promotes a sense of inclusion through artistic exploration.
Benefits
Kare state that “Participants benefit greatly from these experiences, gaining confidence, developing communication skills, and having opportunities to perform for their peers and the wider community. This visibility is important in ensuring that people with intellectual disabilities are represented in theatre spaces as valued contributors to the cultural life of their communities.
As creative arts programmes are rarely included within standard disability service funding, access to facilitated drama programmes often relies on initiatives such as this. SONAS therefore represents an important opportunity to develop drama as a meaningful learning and development tool.”
How to Take Part
Adults
In order to take part in the adult workshops participants should contact Anne-Marie Potter by email annemarie.potter@kare.ie or by phone on 087 1715103. Anne-Marie in the Social Inclusion Development, Education and Research Office with Kare.
Participants also have the option of gaining a QQI Record of Achievement in Drama at the end of the programme each year.
Children
Children enrolled in St Mark’s School in Newbridge will automatically be able to take part in the classes if they are in the years selected by the teachers. For further information please contact:
St Marks School
Address: Piercetown, Newbridge, Co. Kildare, W12 XY09
Phone: 045 486579
Email: office@stmarksnewbridge.com
Events
The adults in the Sonas project have performed in collaborative and devised projects since we began working with them. These have included:
The Birthday Cake – a devised comic play showing the challenges and obstacles a character has in getting her birthday cake ready on time for a party with her friends. This was performed in Ryston Social Centre in Newbridge on 11th May and was directed by Yassine Barkaoui.
Spacebridge – a play that featured a series of scenes created and inspired by the participants’ ideas and difficulties that they face in their daily life in Newbridge including public transport issues, public spaces and inclusion in the community. Spacebridge took place on 28/02/2025, in Riverbank Arts Centre, and was attended by 120 members of the public. It was directed by Yakup Bas.
The Last Supper was a showcase that took place in our last session for the season on 16/06/2025 in the Town hall, Newbridge, Co. Kildare. We had 30 people attending the event. This showcase consisted of devised scenes from the group. It was presented to the family and friends of the participants where we prepared a table full of snacks and soft drinks and had conversations after the play. It was directed by Ola Al Mamlouk and Moneim Nassef.
Impact
In evaluations, 80% of regular attendees said the programme developed their self-confidence, social skills and communication with others.
Breda, a 46-year-old participant said, “I enjoyed the Crooked House Drama group, Because I love acting and it’s great for building my confidence also all the members are so lovely.” All participants appreciated and loved the experience of performing in a professional theatre stage in front of their peers, friends and family. Paul, a 38-year-old participant said, “I love this workshop, and all my friends and family came to watch me on stage, and they are proud of me!” The workshop improved the well-being and enjoyment for the participants, and they are eager to continue the sessions. Michelle, a 29-year-old participant said, “I always wait for Monday morning to come here, I have a great time doing theatre!
What is the need for this project?
People with disabilities have access to services focusing on mobility, access, pain management, exercise and employment training. Very few focus on providing access to cultural creation and participation. This is disproportionate to the level of provision for the public as a whole. 0.8% of the Irish people engage directly in theatre-making, while 16% of the country visits theatre or sees performances annually (Arts Council). There are over 60 youth theatres in Ireland and approximately 250 stage schools providing weekly drama activities for children and young people. However, only 10 recognised theatre projects country-wide offer easy-to-access participation in theatre making for people with disabilities. They have limited places available die to the lack of trained facilitators and resources.
Our pilot projects have shown that our participants need creative, social and collaborative activity at least once a week in order to boost their confidence, develop social and life skills, and increase resilience and positive mental health. Several studies show the impact of drama on people with various additional needs, including the “Arts Based Interventions for People with Disabilities: A Systematic Review,” published in Journal of Applied Arts & Health (2021, Vol. 12, No. 3).
Our participants and partner services have also stated that the drama work helps develop skills important in sourcing employment (communication, interaction and social codes, problem solving and using information). Such studies as “Drama Therapy as a Tool for Vocational Training in Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder,” by K. Miller & L. Hernandez (2019) support this finding.
