Glass Child: Theatre that celebrates differences
Published on 19 June 2026
Audiences who come to see Glass Child at the Frankston Arts Centre on July 14 will never have seen anything like this. Combining documentary storytelling, dance and theatre, this incredibly moving piece follows dancers Kayah and Maitreyah Guenther as they triumph over the cruelties of prejudice, misunderstanding and disability stereotypes. Through dance, they have found a unique and joyful way to shut out the noise.
A ‘glass child’ is the sibling of a child with disability; the one who is looked through in order to meet the other child’s higher needs. Maitreyah’s older brother, Kayah, has Down’s Syndrome. She never saw his disability as a burden, nor did she feel overlooked. Her brother was always just Kayah. She feels it’s an honour to share her life with a brother who thinks and expresses himself so differently.
“I was never able to understand why people didn’t see what I saw in Kayah – this incredible human. From a young age I witnessed the cruelty of the world and that definitely had its negative impacts. I was always a very deep thinker. I’ve learned from Kayah’s ability to show up despite nerves and emotions. He just gives things his all. I think that’s a rare and special thing. He’s a very loving person even when the world wasn’t very loving to him,” she says.
The Farm’s co-creative director, Gavin Webber says, “It’s been beautiful watching Kayah and Maitreyah because dance is their shared language. In this show, they both dipped into such an honesty and vulnerability. In theatre making and the arts, that’s an incredible gift. My partner and co-creative director Kate Harman and I felt very lucky to be part of telling this story. Glass Child has been a real joy to all of us. We believe in it so strongly.
When I started mentoring Kayah, we began improvising together and it was like talking to a dear old friend who just knew me so well. We had such a beautiful conversation together through movement,” Gavin says.
When Kayah performed in The Crossing with Gavin in Chile, he received a standing ovation and was later stopped in the streets by people complimenting him on his strength and performance. It was a remarkable contrast to what he had previously experienced. “I love dance because it encourages me,” Kayah says.
“Because I had worked with Kayah before in The Crossing, I knew what he had to say, but Maitreyah surprised us. She started speaking about what she had seen growing up witnessing the way the world treated Kayah, she had a lot of anger to get off her chest,” Gavin says.
Despite her lack of technical training, Gavin and Kate saw the truth and heart in Maitreyah. They trained her to follow her own lead in dance. It shaped where she went. “Kayah and Maitreyah tell their inner emotional world through movement. You can’t teach that. It comes naturally to them. I’m less interested in how people move. I’m more interested in what moves them,” Gavin says.
“I find a lot of joy in expressing myself through dance because I wasn’t very vocal as a young person. I kept a lot inside. I feel very exhilarated when I dance. I always feel better. It’s a good form of healing,” Maitreyah says.
After attending the World Down’s Syndrome Conference in Scotland where they danced together, Maitreyah and Kayah approached Gavin and Kate about creating a dance theatre piece that expressed their experiences growing up in rural New South Wales. Gavin and Kate co-created Glass Child.
The play begins with dialogue from Miatreyah. Then it moves into Kayah’s thoughts. The show features home movies from their time growing up together. Then the words disappear as their dance emerges and becomes the language of the piece.
Kayah worked with the production designer to animate some of his drawings to translate them into projections for the show. Kayah also wrote a poem in which he talks about the complexity of his inner world which is also projected.
“The reaction of the audiences has been beautiful. You can hear their sniffles. Audiences with disability are often the best audiences. They are so honest in their appreciation and response because they have lived experience. They feel seen and heard,” Maitreyah says.
Don’t miss Glass Child at Frankston Arts Centre on July 14 before the team head off to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. See Kayah and Maitreyah’s extraordinary journey through a visceral, moving expression of self and familial love. It’s a testament to the mutual bonds of trust between the dancers and The Farm’s creative team and the incredible power of the performing arts to effect change.
By ANDREA LOUISE THOMAS, Feature Arts Writer
Book Today