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A theatre company specialising in work with older people is bringing its show through workshops in three Sunderland care homes.

Woven Nest Theatre was one of four companies commissioned by arts project the Cultural Spring to produce “bite-size” performances away from theatres.

Their piece, Milk, Two Sugars, is an immersive, multi-sensory show for older adults in care homes, hospices or community centres. The show is built around the tea trolley.

Woven Nest Theatre has developed the show through visits to three Sunderland care homes: St Mark’s Nursing Home, Primrose Care Home and The Laurels Care Home.

Woven Nest Theatre’s Elliot Mann hands out the drinks

Using a drinks trolley to dispense non-alcoholic cocktails, the Woven Nest Theatre spoke to residents to hear their stories and understand what characters they’d like to see in the show.

The trolley then opened out into a shadow puppetry theatre set, complete with a glitter ball and lights.

Woven Nest Theatre’s co-artistic director Poppy Crawshaw said: “We’ve been experimenting with character parts at the workshops, particularly as bartenders from a prohibition-themed secret bar in downtown New York.

“After handing out the drinks menus and serving cocktails from our secret ‘bar’ the tea trolley opened out into a shadow puppetry theatre set which provided the setting for our stories.

Woven Nest’s Theatre's Poppy Crawshaw, kneeling, Elliot Mann, left and St Mark’s activities co-ordinator Denise Horsburgh, second left, with residents at the workshop

“We’ve been looking at different types of puppets each week and taking a multi-sensory approach to workshops to activate one or more of the senses including taste, smell, vision, hearing and touch.

“We used a group creative storytelling approach throughout the workshops, so that residents were able to collaborate with us and each other, to create the stories and characters that they wanted to see.

“All of the ideas generated in this workshop,and in the other care homes that are taking part will impact the development of the final show.”

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Denise Horsburgh, activities co-ordinator at St Mark’s, added: “Our residents have really enjoyed and benefited from taking part in the Milk, Two Sugars project so far. Woven Nest Theatre’s sensory storytelling and puppetry workshops had our residents laughing and talking about the sessions for days after.

Two performances of Milk, Two Sugars are confirmed: the Old Rectory in Houghton on Friday, June 2 and Pallion Action Group’s Kayll Road site on Wednesday May 31. Both are at 2pm. Other venues to be confirmed.

Theatre company brings 'bite-size' theatre to Sunderland care homes