Voice Lab with Polyglot Theatre

13/05/2026

This article was originally published on Polyglot's website

 

Across a multi-year project with Polyglot, we are exploring new ways to support children 3-12 years, particularly those under 8, to share their voices through creativity and play.

 

    

Figures 1, 2 and 3: Children’s creations

 

Polyglot artists and the CCCH researchers are working together to engage with children in community healthcare settings and early childhood education centres (ECEC), using Voice Lab, as well as making with paper, tape and drawing. The findings are being used to refine the Voice of the Child toolkit – a free, evidence-based resource designed for researchers, service providers, clinicians and others keen to include children and embed their voices in meaningful, ethical ways. The findings will also inform the development of capacity-building materials that will support and empower communities, services and other organisations to ensure they are adequately responding to the needs of young children.

 

 

Figures 4 and 5: Polyglot & CCCH team

 

'Both activities asked the educators to be more theatrical than they usually are… What was wonderful about this, and the collaboration was that we were able to normalise that experimentation for them and help to open up new ways for the educators to bring that sort of experimentation into their classroom practices. Not just in the theatricality of the activity offered, but also in the examination of different ways of expression from the children, not just verbal but through drawing and making and abstraction… Multiple modes of expression across both activities allowed for the children to engage in the ways they felt most comfortable.'

– Quote featured in the artist workshop report for Early Childhood Education and Care settings

 

As part of our 2025 activity in community healthcare settings, Voice Lab spoke to children about visiting new places, sharing their feelings, and being heard by their adults. This is what they told us:

 

'Numerous children asked if we would be there again the next time they came. One asked if they could come again tomorrow. A parent offered to bring their child back again later in the week even though they didn’t have an appointment, and we were also told that we would be missed by some of the children. It was pretty amazing to see kids proactively wanting to come back… due to the creative interventions that we were offering.'

– Featured quote from the artist workshop report in health settings

 

This article was originally published on Polyglot Theatre's website