This online session took place during NDTi’s Inclusive Education Festival, 15-19 March 2021. During the week, there were eight sessions to showcase great stories where inclusion really works and what needs to happen to ensure a more inclusive society.
Chaired by Ellen Atkinson, in this session we hear from Helen Bryer & Emma Selwyn from the award-winning theatre company Access All Areas.
Access All Areas was formed in 1976 as The Rainbow Theatre Group. In 2009, Nick Llewellyn took over as Artistic Director, and the company underwent rapid development, exploring both the participatory and professional artistic abilities of artists with learning disabilities and/or autistic people. A major development for the company was creating a Performance Making Diploma for actors with learning disabilities at the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama, University of London. The diploma is in its sixth year.
Helen Bryer from Access All Areas presents this session with Emma Selwyn, a graduate of the Diploma course. Both Helen and Emma share their experiences of bringing diversity to Central School through the course, but also through young people on the course mixing and being part of university life. The diploma programme is truly inclusive with all of their productions co-led by people with a learning disability.
As this is a recording of a live, online session, the sound and picture quality may vary. To ensure quick sharing of the recordings, captions have not been added yet. If you require a transcript, please email rebecca.ryan@ndti.org.uk.
