Biscuit Land is a two-woman theatre show with Jess Thom and Jess Mabel-Jones that includes puppetry, singing, tics and biscuits.
Touretteshero and the Tate London Schools and Teachers Team invite you to immerse yourself in the playful and unexpected space that imagination creates; play a game in the garden, take on the Fingers on Buzzards challenge and tell tall tales under an autumnal tree.
This free, three-day inclusive interactive project for disabled and non-disabled people, with a particular invitation to children and young people aged 5–16 years old, presents Jess Thom’s award winning Backstage in Biscuit Land in an entirely new context.
Adventures In Biscuit Land is for everyone, with and without Tourettes, so if you tic, shout, or move about, you’re more than welcome. For further information about drop-in and bookable activities contact the Schools Bookings Team on 020 7887 8888 (option 3) or email schoolsandteachers@tate.org.uk. If you have any specific access requirements please let us know when you book. This relaxed BSL event and performance is wheelchair accessible, multi-sensory with chill-out space and visual description.
Bring your ideas and excitement and help make Biscuit Land come alive in Tate Exchange.
Parents: Download our handy social story to help your child prepare for the event here.
This event is programmed by Touretteshero, a Tate Exchange Associate.
Friday 24 March
Our brand new Biscuit Land adventure gets underway on Friday when we welcome students from local SEN schools to take part in a range of specially tailored facilitated activities. If you are a teacher with an interest in this session please get in touch.
Saturday 25 March
The adventure continues on Saturday with more free games and activities. Over the weekend we’re inviting groups of children and young people with and without Tourettes from up and down the country to come and explore and shape Biscuit Land with us. We will also be joined by members of the public who will be lured in by the smell of freshly cooked biscuits. Watch it all come to life on our giant Live Scribe scroll.
12.00 – 12.30 Doors open and welcome
12.30 – 14.00 Facilitated creative activities + social space
14.00 – 14.30 Tea and cake break
14.30 – 15.30 Mobile performance of Touretteshero’s Backstage in Biscuit Land
15.30 – 18.00 Wind down, installation and goodbyes
Sunday 26 March
There’s still time for one last adventure on our third and final day in Biscuit Land. Expect more activities and games throughout the day. As with Saturday we’ll be expecting more groups of children and young people with and without Tourettes from up and down the country to come and join us in Biscuit Land.
12.00 – 12.30 Doors open and welcome
12.30 – 14.00 Facilitated creative activities + social space
14.00 – 14.30 Tea and cake break
14.30 – 15.30 Mobile performance of Touretteshero’s Backstage in Biscuit Land
15.30 – 16.00 Wind down, installation and goodbyes
The Activities
Decorate your own delicious biscuits, join us in the garden for flower making and puppetry, challenge a friend to a round of Fingers on Buzzards – our quiz without rules, have your own say in our monologue spotlight, and blankets at the ready, build a den in the sensory autumnal space.
The Social Space
The Social Space can be found on the same floor in the Southwark Room.
On Saturday a speaker with expertise in Tourettes will give a talk from 12.30 (TBC).
On Sunday Dr Tara Murphy will give a talk on Tourettes and associated conditions, with lots of opportunity for questions and discussion from 12.30
On both Saturday and Sunday Yolanda Welch of the Tourettes London Group will discuss her experience of Education Health and Care (ECH) plans, come and share your experiences too, from 1.30
The Performance
Every day we’ll be performing a very special mobile version of Touretteshero’s multi-award winning show Backstage in Biscuit Land. The show, which explores Jess Thom’s life with Tourettes and her belief that making theatre open to everyone makes it better, will be re-worked especially for the space and for the wide age range of our audiences. The show will be approximately one hour and will take place in the main space.
All of our performances are relaxed, this means if you’d like to tic, shout, or move about, you’re more than welcome. The weekend performances will both be British Sign Language (BSL) interpreted.
Access
We want to make sure Biscuit Land is accessible to all. If you have any specific access requirements that you would like to discuss in advance, please do let us know, you can email: schoolsandteachers@tate.org.uk.
Adventures in Biscuit Land is a relaxed multi sensory event, both weekend performances will be BSL interpreted and a Social Story for the event is available to download.
Biscuit Land will be fully wheelchair accessible throughout and we’ll have priority access to a Changing Places toilet every day. The lifts to level 5 do get busy, so we hope to have one designated for people with mobility impairments or whose impairment might make it harder to wait.
We have a limited number of disabled parking spaces available throughout the event. If you are a blue badge holder and parking is part of your access requirements, please email schoolsandteachers@tate.org.uk to book your space – remember to tell us which day you’re coming and when you expect to arrive.
Booking
Adventures in Biscuit Land is a free drop in event but please do book and let us know you’re coming. To do this get in touch with the Schools Bookings Team on 020 7887 8888 (option 3) or email: schoolsandteachers@tate.org.uk.
Finding Us
You’ll be able to find Biscuit Land in all its glory on at Tate Exchange, level 5 Switch House Tate Modern. The address is:
Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG.
At the lifts on the ground floor, look out for signs to Biscuit Land and a giant cut out of Touretteshero herself!
Once you’re up on the Tate Exchange, look out for our staff and volunteers, all of whom will be wearing special bright Biscuit Land t-shirts. You’ll know you’re in the right place when you can smell the biscuits!
About Touretteshero
Touretteshero celebrates the humour and creativity of Tourettes Syndrome and shares it with the widest audience possible.
Jessica Thom and Matthew Pountney founded Touretteshero in 2010. The organisational aim is to increase awareness and understanding of Tourettes Syndrome using a wide range of cultural and creative means. Our mission is to change the world, one tic at a time.