The Tree Project

New for 2026, The Tree Project is a research and development process to create a new dance theatre work for children that explores ancient trees and how woodlands can become spaces of sanctuary, imagination and play. Using co-creation at its core, the project brings together children, families, dancers, musicians and designers to collaboratively shape the movement, story, and aesthetic world of the performance.

The project will consist of studio development supported by Yorkshire Dance, rehearsals supported by Interplay Theatre, site visits to outdoor locations including Yorkshire Sculpture Park and indoor locations including Z-Arts, East Riding Libraries and Highlights Rural Touring. This period will explore improvisation-based creation methods that interweave music and movement in real time - an approach rooted in Artistic Director Rachel Dean’s 18 years of participatory and improvised performance practice.

Central to the project is a rigorous co-creation strand involving children and families in both indoor and outdoor environments. These sessions will explore movement, storytelling, sound and play, helping the creative team understand how children naturally respond to sensory and imaginative stimuli. Informed by learning from Speedwell’s previous projects Thumbelina and The Mountain Witch, the co-creation will surface original, child-led ideas that could not be generated by artists alone.

Indoor sessions will take place in libraries and nurseries, outdoor sessions will take place in woodland areas, inviting imaginative prompts like “who do you think lives in this tree?” and “what secrets do you think this tree keeps?” These interactions will inform content development and test movement and music in natural settings.

By project end, we will have developed and tested a fully formed dance theatre work with deep roots in children’s voices, play, and imagination, ready to tour in 2027.