From the moment Kathryn Hall peers out from under a blanket on stage in the opening scene of Sheltered, the audience is won over.

The stage persona Hall inhabits is immediate, witty and personal – conjuring the atmosphere of a comedic confessional in the space of just a few opening lines.

This easy presence is the key that unlocks her story. Throughout the show, Hall leads the audience through a series of often-extreme experiences. In her teens, she is removed from her home by police not once, but twice. Still at school, Hall learns to look after herself – to cook, to clean, to manage her schedule and her cerebral palsy – while also navigating the social politics of a youth shelter. And in between an endless carousel of meetings with ever-revolving therapists and case workers who offer little more than reams of written reports, she tackles her school exams unsupported.

A collection of puppets allows Kathryn Hall to evoke other characters on stage. Photo: Photos by Jamois

The story’s content uncovers the blatant absurdity of the inaccessible and impersonal systems within which we all exist. But it’s Hall’s skilful storytelling that builds an empathy strong enough to invite audiences inside her experiences, helping them to sit alongside her instead of remaining ambivalent witnesses.

She is aided in the unfurling of her story by a series of deceptively simple stagecraft aids that Hall and director Andi Snelling deploy strategically. A collection of puppets allows Hall to evoke other characters on stage, without ever taking the audience outside of her perspective, while judicious use of pop songs, video projection and props bring dynamic energy to the show.

The structure of Sheltered is equally clever, with a rebuttal against the idea that true accessibility is somehow difficult or unattainable baked into the form of the show. Throughout the work, Hall – who tells the audience her cerebral palsy affects her memory and her energy levels – receives line prompts from Snelling and takes occasional rest breaks. Each practice is explained by Hall or Snelling as it happens and it quickly becomes apparent that these deviations from traditional, inaccessible theatre norms have no impact beyond perhaps strengthening the bond between audience and performer.

Marred only by a handful of uneven scene and story transitions, which saw the show leaping from one stage of Hall’s life to another in occasionally jarring or disorienting fashion, and by a sometimes distractingly stark and empty stage design, Sheltered is almost entirely entertaining and thoughtful. It is Hall’s story, but an experience that has been delightfully crafted so that it can resonate with us all.

Sheltered is playing at The Breakout at The Mill until March 3.

Read more 2023 Adelaide Fringe stories and reviews on InReview here.