A scheme to get disabled people involved in theatre work has proved to be a great success with live performances taking place at a popular Yorkshire venue.
Sheffield Theatres co-hosted three introductory courses for deaf and disabled people who were interested in pursuing careers in directing, producing and writing.
They were aimed at people right at the beginning of their careers, with no previous experience necessary. The courses were free to attend, with lots of practical and financial support available.
They were set up in co-ordination with Ramps On The Moon, which is committed to “enriching the stories we tell and the way we tell them by normalising the presence of deaf and disabled people both on and off stage”, and Leeds Playhouse.
Several of those involved on the courses – both on the teaching and being taught sides – were Sheffield-based and several of the rehearsals – starring experienced professional actors with both theatre and television work under their belts – took place at the Crucible. People on all three courses were teamed up to produce pieces to be shown on stage.
It all culminated in a ‘sharing day’ which took place in front of live audiences at Leeds Playhouse with seven separate pieces being presented twice. Subjects covered by the works include religion, the use of restraint on disabled people, coming to terms with illness and disability and the music business.
One of the course participants was our very own Disability Sheffield news volunteer John Quinn. As John explains:
“My play was based on my past life as a music journalist where I’d meet people who were good-looking, confident and talented, yet still somehow saw themselves as ‘outsiders. I’d always think ‘you’re really not’ and so created a scenario in which one of them suddenly becomes disabled and starts to find out what being an outsider actually feels like”
The picture shows John with the director of his play Steven George (centre) and the actor Dan Edge (left),
You can see a link to the sharings here. John’s piece is 1hr 53mins in.
The courses proved to be such a success there are plans to run a similar scheme in the future.
