Tiny Tim
For nearly two centuries, A Christmas Carol has been retold as a story of redemption and charity. But hidden within is Tiny Tim – a disabled child too often reduced to a symbol of pity and inspiration.
That’s the problem. Disabled characters are frequently written as lessons, used as a tool to comfort audiences. Enter Uncurbed Collective – with a new Tim, who refuses to be “Tiny”.
Written by James Varney (The Writing Squad) with members of Uncurbed Collective, Tiny Tim is bold, funny, and unapologetic in challenging tradition and daring to change the narrative.
Why Tiny Tim?
We’ve been searching for Tim for years.
First, we asked: where are the disabled characters who aren’t villains, sidekicks, or symbols? The answer wasn’t promising:
- Captain Hook… too evil
- Quasimodo… used as a spectacle
- Rumpelstiltskin… too wicked
- Caliban… too monstrous
Everywhere we looked, disability was either a shorthand for wickedness or a prop for someone else’s redemption.
Then came A Christmas Carol. Here was Tiny Tim – not evil, not monstrous. But also not alive as a character. He had no story beyond pity, suffering, and charity. He was a lesson, not a person.
Who is Tim?
We started with questions. Who is Tim, beyond Dickens’ fragile boy? What story does he deserve? Since it's first iteration, 'Scrooge' performed at the Spiritan Centre, Salford in 2017, we’ve been experimenting, devising, and collaborating to create his narrative – bringing together lived experiences and using theatre as a space to test, play, and see what’s possible.
Access Information
We weave accessibility throughout the Tiny Tim story, here’s what to expect:
- Makaton-incorporated: Key signs are used to help convey character emotions and story moments.
- Creative captioning: Dialogue, narrator lines, and important sounds are captioned.
- Audio description: Key visual elements, mood, and atmosphere are described by narrators.
For Venue Access, visit Contact Theatre’s website by clicking here.
To discuss access or ask us a question, please get in touch.
