Oily Cart
Oily Cart is a UK registered charity and pioneer of Sensory Theatre, founded in 1981, that creates award-winning multi-sensory performances and digital resources for babies, toddlers, disabled children, and their families. It operates from London with about 15 employees, funded primarily by Arts Council England grants, donations, and earned touring income.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1981
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Oily Cart does
Oily Cart is a UK-registered charity (Charity no. 1000799, Company no. 2535040) founded in 1981 and headquartered in London, operating as a pioneer of Sensory Theatre — immersive multi-sensory performances designed for babies, toddlers, disabled children, and their families who face barriers to accessing traditional theatre. The company's core technical and creative practice engages all 33 human senses and is guided by the social model of disability, addressing physical, attitudinal, structural, institutional, and ideological barriers through co-creation with disabled artists, families, and Critical Friends. Its core productions include InSideWays (an at-home family sensory show), When the World Turns (a biophilic design collaboration with Australia's Polyglot Theatre, winner of two 2025 Off West End Awards), Space to Be (a children's hospices tour), and Something Love (a sensory film series launched during the Covid-19 pandemic).
Oily Cart operates a hybrid revenue model combining public grant funding, donations, and earned income. The principal funding stream is Arts Council England National Lottery grants, supplemented by Wandsworth Council support, individual donations, and community fundraising events such as Sensory Tea Parties. Earned income derives from touring performance fees to schools, theatres, and hospices, direct-to-family bookings for At Home shows, and a small e-commerce shop selling commemorative DVDs (£12.50), musical albums (£7.50–£10), books (£22.99), and digital resources (£9.99). Distribution is multi-channel and includes regional UK touring plus international co-productions in Australia and Sweden, supported by the British Council.
The organisation runs a lean operation of approximately 15 employees under Artistic Director Ellie Griffiths and Executive Director Zoë Lally, supported by an Associate Artist network and a recently launched Youth Associate Artist programme (Lucy Bowen). Strategic positioning has shifted toward digital and at-home distribution, exemplified by the InSideWays At Home show reaching 50 UK families in Summer 2026 and the publication of Making SideWays field notes as both digital and print resources. The company maintains an archive of over 100 productions spanning 40+ years, held in partnership with Royal Holloway, University of London.
Oily Cart firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Oily Cart
- Legal name
- Oily Cart
- Website
- https://oilycart.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1981
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Oily Cart is a UK registered charity and pioneer of Sensory Theatre, founded in 1981, that creates award-winning multi-sensory performances and digital resources for babies, toddlers, disabled children, and their families. It operates from London with about 15 employees, funded primarily by Arts Council England grants, donations, and earned touring income.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Oily Cart industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Inclusive Sensory Theatre for Children and Families
- NAICS
- Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Retailers (459420)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Kids & Family Learning Workshops (Family Crafts, Junior Maker Classes) (THAJAKAO)
Keywords
Where Oily Cart is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Oily Cart business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Product Sales: Sale of merchandise through the Oily Cart shop including DVDs of past productions, music albums, books, and digital resources.
- Ticket Sales / Performance Fees: Revenue from touring shows to families, schools, theatres, and children's hospices. At Home shows booked directly by families.
- Donations and Fundraising: Registered charity relying on charitable support. Accepts one-off and regular donations, sponsorship, and community fundraising events like Sensory Tea Parties.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Merchandise items available in shop |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Oily Cart product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Oily Cart creates and tours award-winning interactive sensory theatre productions for babies, toddlers, disabled children, and their families, designed to engage all 33 human senses and remove barriers to traditional theatre. Its portfolio includes live touring shows (InSideWays, When the World Turns, Space to Be), sensory films (Something Love), at-home activity packs, a Sensory Storybook and soundtrack, and a digital and print Making SideWays field-notes resource. Complementary merchandise such as anniversary DVDs, music albums, scripts, and a published history book are sold through its own online shop.
Product overview
Oily Cart is a pioneer of Sensory Theatre, offering a portfolio of interactive, multi-sensory performances and related products for babies, toddlers, disabled children, and their families. The core offerings include live sensory theatre productions (InSideWays, When the World Turns, Space to Be) and sensory films (Something Love). These are complemented by a digital and print resource called Making SideWays, At Home activity packs with soundtracks, and The Sensory Storybook. The company also sells commemorative DVDs, musical albums, scripts, and books through its shop. All offerings focus on inclusive, accessible theatre experiences that engage all 33 human senses, designed for audiences who face the most barriers to traditional theatre access.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- InSideWays (At Home family sensory show) An interactive at-home family sensory show featuring a sensory storybook and accompanying activities, designed to bring theatre into families' living rooms for babies, toddlers, disabled children, and their families.
- When the World Turns An award-winning sensory theatre production co-created with Polyglot Theatre (Australia), exploring biophilic design principles and touring to UK and Australian audiences including families with disabled and neurodivergent children.
- Space to Be (Children's Hospices Tour) A sensory theatre tour designed specifically for children's hospices, bringing immersive multi-sensory experiences to young people with complex needs and their families across the UK.
- Something Love (Sensory Films) A series of sensory films created in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, exploring autistic relationships with objects and designed for autistic and neurodivergent audiences.
- Making SideWays (Digital Resource) Digital field notes from the InSideWays creative process, tracing themes of co-creation, access, perception, sensory practice, play, connection and resonance; co-produced with Swedish partners.
- InSideWays At Home Activities A pack of at-home sensory activities including Colourful Shadows, Bathroom Bubble Disco, and SideWays Massage, paired with soundtracks composed by Bernt Karsten Sannerud for family use.
- InSideWays Sensory Storybook Soundtrack An original soundtrack composed and sound designed by Bernt Karsten Sannerud to accompany the InSideWays Sensory Storybook.
- SideWays Play (Interactive Playspace) An interactive playspace developed as part of the InSideWays creative process, exploring sensory engagement and play for children and families.
- 30 Greatest Hits (Music Album) A music album featuring highlights from Oily Cart's sensory theatre productions, sold through the Oily Cart shop.
- Jamboree: The Album A music album from the Jamboree production featuring instruments, musical notes, and sensory elements.
- Oily Cart: All Sorts of Theatre for All Sorts of Kids (Book) A book compiled and edited by Mark Brown with a foreword by Lyn Gardner, documenting Oily Cart's history and approach to inclusive theatre.
Quantifiable outcome
- Created over 100 productions in 40+ years of operation
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Oily Cart
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Oily Cart technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Oily Cart partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Polyglot Theatre (Australia)coreInternational collaboration on When the World Turns, an eco-performance exploring biophilic design principles. The UK version won two prestigious Off West End awards. Dr Tanja Beer contributed original design concept.
- Arts Centre MelbourneminorSupported a project using 'biophilic' principles exploring ways of making and touring shows with minimal environmental impact.
- Julie’s BicyclecoreNot-for-profit organisation helping the arts and culture take action on climate and ecological crisis. Oily Cart uses Julie’s Bicycle to monitor environmental impact and track carbon footprint.
- Royal Holloway Archives and Special CollectionsminorPhysical archive of Oily Cart documents, print materials, education resources, images, and footage stored at Royal Holloway, University of London.
- Folkteatern Gävleborg and Scen:se (Sweden)minorCo-produced Making SideWays: Field Notes from the InSideWays Creative Process, a resource tracing the creative process through co-creation, access, perception, and sensory practice.
- Gendered IntelligenceminorPartnered with Franki Ayres (Associate Artist) to deliver workshops for trans and gender diverse young people who identify as disabled and/or neurodivergent.
- British CouncilminorSupporting international collaboration on sustainable performance practices.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Oily Cart competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Polyglot Theatre: Australian children's theatre company focused on immersive and interactive performance for young audiences. Direct co-production partner with Oily Cart on When the World Turns; comparable in participatory children's theatre methodology.
Direct peers
- Mind the Gap: One of the UK's leading learning disability theatre companies producing work performed by and for people with learning disabilities. Shares Oily Cart's focus on disability-led and disability-accessible performance practice.
- Bamboozle Theatre Company: UK-based immersive theatre company specialising in multi-sensory performances for children and young people with complex needs, learning disabilities, and autism. Closest peer to Oily Cart in mission, methodology, and target audience.
- Graeae Theatre Company: Disabled-led theatre company producing innovative work for integrated audiences. Operates in the same inclusive theatre space as Oily Cart, with a broader age range and more mainstream touring focus.
- Theatre Centre: UK touring theatre company specialising in work for young audiences, including school residencies and educational programmes. Comparable in touring model and school-engagement focus, though less specialist in sensory work.
- Tutti Frutti Theatre: UK children's theatre company producing innovative productions for young audiences, including work for early years and accessible performances. Comparable in scale and children's-theatre focus.
- Action Transport Theatre: UK participatory theatre company producing work for and with young people, including touring to schools and community venues. Comparable in small-scale, touring, socially-engaged theatre model.
Broad incumbents
- Unicorn Theatre: Major UK children's theatre producing a year-round programme of shows for young audiences, including relaxed and sensory-friendly performances. Larger, more mainstream counterpoint to Oily Cart's specialist sensory focus.
- Polka Theatre: London's flagship children's theatre producing work for ages 0-13, including some accessible and relaxed performances. Comparable as a children's theatre serving families, with significantly larger scale and broader programming.
- Little Angel Theatre: London's premier puppet theatre producing family-friendly shows, including some work for very young audiences. Comparable in serving young children and families with a primarily in-person theatrical model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Oily Cart social profiles
Digital presenceOily Cart financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Oily Cart leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Oily Cart funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Oily Cart M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Oily Cart
What does Oily Cart do?
Oily Cart creates and tours award-winning interactive sensory theatre productions for babies, toddlers, disabled children, and their families, designed to engage all 33 human senses and remove barriers to traditional theatre. Its portfolio includes live touring shows (InSideWays, When the World Turns, Space to Be), sensory films (Something Love), at-home activity packs, a Sensory Storybook and soundtrack, and a digital and print Making SideWays field-notes resource. Complementary merchandise such as anniversary DVDs, music albums, scripts, and a published history book are sold through its own online shop.
Is Oily Cart a public or private company?
Oily Cart is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Oily Cart founded?
Oily Cart was founded in 1981. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Oily Cart based?
Oily Cart is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Oily Cart make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are ticket Sales / Performance Fees and donations and Fundraising.
Who are Oily Cart's main competitors?
Polyglot Theatre is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Mind the Gap, Bamboozle Theatre Company, Graeae Theatre Company, Theatre Centre, Tutti Frutti Theatre and Action Transport Theatre. Broad incumbents are Unicorn Theatre, Polka Theatre and Little Angel Theatre.
Does Oily Cart have an API?
No public API is recorded for Oily Cart.
What industry is Oily Cart in?
Oily Cart's product category is Inclusive Sensory Theatre for Children and Families. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJAKAO, Kids & Family Learning Workshops (Family Crafts, Junior Maker Classes). Its NAICS code is 459420 and its SIC code is 7900.