Glass Child

Glass Child is a poignantly revealing depiction of the sibling relationship between Kayah, a young man with Down Syndrome and his sister Maitreyah. Expressed through dance, theatre and storytelling Glass Child highlights their connection and how their lives have been affected by other people’s perceptions.

The term ‘Glass Child’ refers to the sibling of someone with special needs who often becomes a facilitator in the family, someone who is “looked through”. Kayah is Maitreyah’s oldest brother & was born with Down Syndrome. Throughout their lives Maitreyah has watched him be left out, ridiculed or ignored without understanding why. Glass Child puts a microscope on their love and how their relationship has grown. It questions how the rest of us behave when we find the difference we inevitably look for. It asks us to examine why we search for difference when we share so much in common.

The sibling relationship is best expressed through the words of the lead performers Maitreyah and Kayah Guenther.

“Kayah is a brother of blood, but also a friend I rely on to lift my spirits. Down Syndrome carries many challenges for him, but it gifts him a love that is truly majestic, he sees spiritual beauty in places where I do not, which in itself gives him a strength I will only know through him” – Maitreyah Guenther

“When Maitreyah was a little girl and fell over I would help her up and now she helps me up. I want people to see inside me and Maitreyah, the love, frustration, anger and the flower I have for her.” – Kayah Guenther

Presented by HOTA, Home of the Arts and The Farm
HOTA are proud to support The Farm as a HOTA Home Company.