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IMPRESSIONS:Rosán Sensory Adventures in "Antarctica! Crew Wanted" Lincoln Center, The Big Umbrella Festival
By Stacey Menchel Kussell
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Published on May 12, 2026
Rosán Sensory Adventures; Photo: Sean Chee
Samuel Rehearsal Studio, 165 W 65th St, New York, NY
Created by: Phillida Eaves and Amélie Bal
Choreography: Fionnuala Doyle Wade
Performers: Amélie Bal, Fionnuala Doyle Wade, Inés García
Sound design: Alan Preims
Set Design:Orla Clogher, Bill Wright, Amanda Donovan
Stage Manager: Karina Nachbar
Producer: Elaine Donovan
Line Producer (Lincoln Center): Ryan Gedrich
A master in immersive storytelling, Rosán Sensory Adventures is a physical theater company designed for neurodivergent audiences. Based in Galway, Ireland, the collaborative ensemble intermixes elements of dance, puppetry, and circus arts with whimsical stagecraft. I had the privilege of seeing their recent piece, Antarctica! Crew Wanted, which had its first New York run from April 17-26 as part of Lincoln Center’s Big Umbrella Festival.
Inspired by the true story of Irish explorer Ernest Henry Shackleton and his perilous expedition to Antarctica in 1915, the piece was interactive from the very first moment. Dressed as a rugged sailor, with a worn orange beanie hat and ripped blue gloves, Phillida Eaves, the company’s founder and director, called out to the group in the lobby to ask for volunteers to join her on a dangerous mission. “And a journey that you may never come back from!” she warned with a grin.
The audience, made up mostly of children and their caregivers, grabbed onto a rope and held on tightly as they were slowly tugged down the corridor into a black box theater. Once the families were seated, the journey took off, and the dark theater became a seascape at night. Several lamp-like structures resembling icebergs lit the stage and an actor gracefully floated a flashlight wrapped in white scarves to create the shimmering effect of a boat sailing in a foggy, frozen sea.
Portraying the salty Shackleton, Amélie Bal narrated the arduous tale. The boat would become stuck in the ice, and for months, the ship’s crew would have to work together to survive. For the duration of the show, Bal and the other hardy sailors, Fionnuala Doyle Wade and Inés García collaborated with the audience who worked as a team to help the crew return safely home.
In a setting designed for theater in the round, the cast engaged with the families throughout the show, asking them questions, and allowing them to touch the various props. A mix of tactile set pieces designed by Orla Clogher, Bill Wright, and Amanda Donovan, and a soothing soundscape by Alan Preims created a safe environment for exploration. The action unfurled slowly, and first the sailors came around demonstrating a model of the boat that the children could gently touch. Later they brought forward a table covered in ice cubes enticing the kids to submerge their hands, capturing the cold temperature of the Southern Hemisphere.
The plot's intensity grew, and the children were instructed to do chores to keep the boat in shape. Stacking boxes transformed into a dynamic game of catch. Cleaning and scouring the ship turned into a gleeful romp. The cast members and the children rolled, galavanted, and crawled together across the stage floor.
The piece moved effortlessly between the staged moments of dialogue and dance, and the pauses left open to improvise with the crowd. Doyle Wade’s choreography incorporated elements of mime, Flying Low floor work, hand-balancing, and acrobatics. Mundane everyday gestures – pulling, marching, and scrubbing - were gracefully elongated and emphatically underscored. And as the piece progressed and the story became more triumphant, the movement increased in physicality. The sailors stood on each other’s shoulders, like the stacked boxes, showcasing their strength and tenacity.
“Antarctica..." was originally created for an audience of Autistic and neuro-diverse teenagers, and I wanted to make something for them that had elements of action and danger,” revealed Eaves during a post-performance chat backstage. “I wanted to empower these young people to take risks and make them feel that they could do something daring.”
The piece was developed over the course of a year and half through a series of workshops with the students from St. Joseph’s Special School in Galway. The high schooler’s feedback guided the ensemble in their creation process and allowed them to see which aspects of the performance resonated most effectively. Rosan’s team is a mix of theater artists, musicians, and dancers, and they all have an extensive background working in special needs education.
“The show is never the same, each performance can change depending on how the audience reacts and how much time we spend in each scene, so we need to be extremely flexible,” said Bal. “The piece continues to evolve and we are always refining and trying new things.”
“The show is quite analog, and the simplicity works well “ added Eaves. “We do not use any screens intentionally, and feel the tactile offerings are more soothing and effective in increasing proprioception.”
Antarctica... is Rosan’s biggest production to date, and the company will continue its international tour this summer as part of a theater showcase at the Sydney Opera house from July 25-August 2nd.
“We’re happy to create something for the whole family, “ said producer Elaine Donovan.”Not only to offer something to neurodivergent children alone, but also something for their siblings and caretakers. It is an opportunity to bring everyone together.”
