TOUCH LABORATORY / COMMUNITY
Community projects
Theatre invites children to discover the wonder in the world around them.
Our aim is to give more children the chance to make and perform theatre, tell their own stories and discover the beauty around them.
We work in villages and schools, returning to build lasting relationships with the children through art.
01 / SONGYANG, ZHEJIANG
Returning to Songyang.
Three visits: two residencies and one theatre workshop.
RESIDENCY / 01
My Sweet Life
2018 · Xing Village, Songyang · Brown Sugar Workshop
From tea gardens and sugarcane fields to a working brown sugar workshop, the village became a stage. Thirty-six children from Dadongba and Zhangxi primary schools worked with artists and educators on a site-specific musical rooted in their local sugar-making culture.
During the residency, the children practised singing, reading scripts and performing together. They told The Journey of Sugarcane with sticks and cloth, combining original songs, local Wu opera and the workshop setting. Making theatre together helped them build confidence and see their home afresh.
RESIDENCY / 02
My Warm Life
2019 · Shicang, Songyang · Tofu Workshop
Touch Laboratory returned to Songyang to work with 25 children from Dadongba Town Central School. Beginning with a soybean, they created a story of tofu-making, Hakka culture and childhood memories. After more than half a month of rehearsals, they performed throughout the Shicang Tofu Workshop.
The children made pictures with beans and clay and sang original songs incorporating local folk tunes and recitation in dialect. Puppets, movement and dance told Little Beans in Shicang. A photographic exhibition of village life brought the story’s memories back to Shicang itself.
THEATRE WORKSHOP
Bringing theatre into a village school.
2023 · Wuzhen Theatre Festival charity livestream initiative · Yuying Primary School, Songyang
Touch Laboratory returned to Songyang with puppets for a workshop led by Liu Xiaoyi. Children made their own puppets, created stories and performed a short original play together.
02 / HUAPING, LIJIANG, YUNNAN
A year later, the same class.
A creative residency in 2024. A return to the same class in 2025. bilibili’s documentary team followed both visits for And Yet the Theatre.
CREATIVE RESIDENCY / 01
Creating together in Huaping
2024 · Huaping · Puppets and school performances
Touch Laboratory arrived in Huaping for a creative residency with local children. Puppets, handmade props and performance brought theatre into the school grounds.
RETURN VISIT / 02
Returning to the same class
2025 · Huaping · Reconnecting with the same class
The team returned to the same class the following year, continuing the relationship begun during the residency. These photographs record the reunion.
DOCUMENTARY
And Yet the Theatre
bilibili’s documentary team followed the project throughout. The programme brings this encounter between theatre and the children of Huaping to the screen.
Watch on bilibili03 / SHANGHAI · COMMUNITY WORKSHOP
Searching for White Dolphins
2024 · Touch Laboratory × Shanghai Gongyi Xintiandi
Touch Laboratory and Shanghai Gongyi Xintiandi brought children together for a community workshop exploring the environment. They co-created a giant white dolphin puppet and brought it to life at night in Shanghai.
THE JOURNEY CONTINUES