Spectrum Youth Theatre (SYT) is a puppetry focused youth theatre for neurodivergent young people. A chance to make, create and meet new friends, SYT uses boundless imagination to create fantastic shows about the things that matter to them. Previously this has included prehistoric time travel, outer space, climate change and the monsters that live inside us. Together, we design and build puppets, devise stories and create everything from scratch.

Smoking Apples have pioneered and developed SYT, in partnership with the Little Angel Theatre, since 2016. During this time, we have created four original performances, including a promenade piece and 8 digital films, championing the incredible creative work of young neurodivergent minds. 

The latest instalment of SYT will see us deliver three week long residencies across the South East, in London (Little Angel Theatre), Didcot (Cornerstone Arts Centre) and Canterbury (The Marlowe Theatre). Please see below for more information on how to participate.

Supported by Arts Council England and Enterprise Arts Trust. 

(Image below: a production photo from The Creature by Spectrum Youth Theatre, 2 people wearing blue boilersuits are mostly hidden by shadow as they move miniature set pieces on a colourful table. There are small tin houses in brown and grey.)

Example outline of an average residency day:

This is an example outline of what we get up to during the average residency day. It varies from day to day but activities include group makes, puppet design and making, storyboarding, scripting and filming. 

10am – 10.15am: Participants arrive and register

10.15am – 10.30am: Circle time

10.30am – 11am: Games

11am – 11.30am: Designing puppets

11.30am – 11.45am: Break

11.45am – 12.30pm: Puppet making

12.30pm – 1.30pm: Lunch

1.30pm – 1.45pm: Games

1.45pm – 2.30pm: Puppet storyboards

2.30pm – 2.45pm: Break

2.45pm – 3.30pm: Narrative and scripting

3.30pm – 4pm: Game and Circle time