Access
I am one of the first visually impaired actors to have ever been trained at a Conservatoire which is both an extremely exciting but also deeply worrying fact. For the longest time the arts was not an open or accessible place for actors and performers with disabilities and whilst this is still largely the case things are slowly shifting.
Whenever I work with someone new the first thing I always tell them to do is relax and just ask questions, no matter how stupid they may feel. By encouraging a dialogue people realise how working with a performer with a disability or making your show or project accessible really isn't very difficult at all and in fact is extremely exciting and enriching.
So whilst the majority of my work is as an actor and workshop facilitator I am extremely open to being approached as an access consultant to have a chat through access or assist with access elements on a production. My background in devised theatre means that I am able to offer a a perspective to creatively integrate access into the work without the feeling of compromising or loosing anything.
Training Visually impaired actors at Central
This video produced by The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama looks at training visually impaired actors in a conservatoire and the ways in which both Central as well as the ensemble adapted ways of working to effectively train the first 2 visually impaired actors to have trained at a conservatoire with out compromising on the quality of the training.
The interview and footage was recorded during my second year of training at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
Royal Exchange Pannal discussion
I was invited by the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester to take part in this brilliant Panel discussion surrounding issues of how people with disabilities have been disproportionately effected by the pandemic and the role that theatre and the arts can play in the recovery.
Please do take the time to watch this as some really important issues are discussed.
Contact
Please do not hesitate to get in touch with any questions about access. Wether you'd like some access consultation for a project your working on, are interested in bringing me in for a panel or workshop on access or even just for a casual chat about working in a more accessible way
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