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Small World Theatre is an Arts and Culture for Development (ACD) organisation which means that we use arts activities, theatre and other cultural forms to help people transform as individuals, as a community and to take charge of their own development.

Peoples lives are subject to changes that can appear to be out of their control. Culture and art are the best tools to help people understand and manage change. Whether that change is personal or caused by environmental events, government policies, global economics, war, famine, health problems, age or just that thing called progress.  There are current and past project examples on this site that will illustrate how we work.

The History of Small World Theatre

Ann Shrosbree and Bill Hamblett have been working together since 1979 when a small puppet company called Dandelion Puppets was formed. Small World Theatre was formed in 1997.

Small highlights Shumacher’s axiom Small Is Beautiful

World is appropriate as we travel internationally and bring stories home as well as creating global work through theatre and puppets.

Theatre as described in a headline for a Times article 'Theatre of Life and Death' about our work in Africa.

SWT projects are so wide ranging we sometimes say that there are so many strings to our bow it is more like a Celtic harp. Some projects help people manage the changes that adversely affect them. We try to ensue that projects are truly participatory. The Arts and Culture for Development methodology we use overseas informs our work here in Wales with social inclusion, community regeneration and arts and theatre in the social context. We also bring stories home and work with schools on education for sustainability and global citizenship.

Issues are often environmental, sometimes cultural. Human rights, democracy, refugee issues and intergenerational projects are themes that often occur. Some of our performances are devised and performed by the community and a percentage of our work we research, produce and perform ourselves in schools and theatre venues.

Small World Theatre enjoys a variety of work that we find very rewarding and enjoyable. Some research we do can be very harrowing, for instance collecting and recording refugees stories in detention centres and refugee camps. More recently we interviewed asylum seekers and refugees recently arrived in Wales for the Diogel? | Safe ? project. Other countries we have worked in include: Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda, Syria, China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Nepal. We were one of the first independent international theatre for development companies.  Details of other projects can be found on this site.

Small World Centre provides our organisation with an opportunity to pull all the multi-coloured threads of what we do together and weave a coherent pattern to pass on to a successor generation.  The new building provides a creative space for creative people and an inspiring building designed with many sustainable features.