Published: 15 Jul 2026
We welcomed 17 young people and their families from across London and the surrounding area...
On Saturday 4 July 2026, we collaborated with My Neighbour Totoro to host an Inclusive Family Day for young people and families who are Blind/visually impaired or have special educational needs…
Our Inclusive Family Days are designed to connect young people and families with similar lived experiences, in a fun and accessible way. Thanks to our generous funders we were able to offer 10 families a fully subsided day of theatre experiences at £10 per person. This included a workshop, touch tour at the Gillian Lynne Theatre and tickets to the Audio Described matinee performance of My Neighbour Totoro.
The day began with a pre-show workshop facilitated by Megan Drabble, assisted by Vinna Law and with support from our Youth Forum Member Lydia Draycott. The workshop explored the themes, story and characters of My Neighbour Totoro in a welcoming environment, aiming to bring the families together while gaining a better understanding of the production in a fun and inclusive setting.
This was followed by a touch tour of the props, puppets and costumes held at the Gillian Lynne Theatre. As well as the opportunity to meet the Audio Describer ahead of the performance!
The families then watched the Audio Described performance of My Neighbour Totoro.
Go Live focussed on targeting Blind/visually impaired young people or those who have special educational needs, and their families, who would most benefit from the Audio Described performance. While also reaching those families who would love to take their young people to the theatre, but the budget or access is simply not there.
100% agreed it was beneficial to meet other young people with similar needs and experience
80% agreed the pre-show workshop contributed to the young people’s understanding of the show and boosted the young people’s confidence
100% agreed the touch tour helped them understand the performance
100% agreed the day was educational
100% agreed the day was an inclusive and fun experience for the whole family
Testimonials from parents have shown how important accessible and inclusive events, like these, are for the whole family to enjoy:
“A wonderful inclusive day for the family, thank you”
“It was a very enjoyable day with experiences we probably wouldn’t otherwise have.”
“Wonderful it was a great day and one we will remember forever (quote from my daughter with learning disabilities)”
“The Go Live and the Theatre Staff were all brilliant. [My daughter] was able to move seats to be closer to the front to accommodate her visual needs, and the Theatre staff were great with this. Go Live is such an important part of our family life. Without the opportunities it offers us our lives would not be as rich. When you have a child with complex needs there are few activities you can all genuinely enjoy together that really appeal to the siblings and young person with needs equally. Theatre is one of those activities, and we feel blessed to have the opportunities Go Live provides us.”
Huge thanks to the team at My Neighbour Totoro, the RSC and Gillian Lynne Theatre for working with us to create this impactful experience!
We would like to thank our funders, the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation and The John Horniman’s Children’s Trust, for making this programme possible.
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Photos by Bonnie Britain
