YOUNG people with learning disabilities across the West Midlands will have more theatre opportunities, thanks to an Arts Council funding boost.
A further three years of National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) cash has been awarded to Open Theatre – based at Coventry’s Daimler Powerhouse which will benefit 12,000 young people.
There will be more chances to participate in and develop the arts in schools and community settings, along with more support for artistic careers.
The cash is in recognition of the creativity and the wide range of young people and emerging artists with learning disabilities which Open Theatre works with.
The funding will enable the company to expand its workshop programme, projects and production work regionally, nationally and internationally.
Open Theatre is a national leader in creating new and innovative art with, for and by emerging artists with learning disabilities and supporting their access into careers in the arts through bespoke training opportunities alongside industry professionals.
As well as working with arts organisations and professionals from the UK, young people in the company benefit from working with international artists who provide more diverse artistic experiences.
The company supports other arts organisations to open their doors to working with a wider range of young people with learning disabilities and challenges the industry to make theatre more accessible for all.
For the past 30 years, Open Theatre has been ‘Doing Difference Differently’, using non-verbal, physical theatre practice to challenge the limited perceptions of what young people with learning disabilities can achieve creatively and culturally.
One example was the WANTOK outdoor interactive theatre show in collaboration with professional artists from Papua New Guinea and Australia for the Commonwealth Games Birmingham 2022 Festival.
Open Theatre’s emerging artists performed in a professional, accessible, touring production, reaching audiences in outdoor venues across Birmingham.
The development of the show also included working with six Special Educational Needs (SEN) schools across the West Midlands and running workshops with 150 young people from those schools.
Open Theatre Director Richard Hayhow said everyone was delighted with the funding uplift and continued Arts Council NPO status which would allow the group to keep offering the work it had been undertaking for the past three decades.
“This funding will not only allow us to support our young people and emerging artists, but will enable us to continue to work in partnership with other artists and organisations.
“Partnership work is at the heart of what we do as a company and provides richer and more diverse opportunities for the young people.”
He added they were equally excited to see the representation of disability arts within the national portfolio supported by the Arts Council.
Peter Knott, Arts Council England area director, said it was important for creative communities in every corner of the country to have the opportunity to thrive which was why it was delighted to be able to offer Open Theatre the three years of funding.
He added it would be great to see more people across the West Midlands to have the chance to experience theatre and arts.
