Page 29 - Community Living Magazine 31 - 4

arts: on stage and screen
From stage and screen to soap opera

tracey harding gives a
round-up of the highlights
and things to watch out for in
the world of performance

rts pioneers with learning
disabilities are continuing to forge
asuccessful paths.
A taboo-breaking film continues to
receive critical claim, Hollyoaks employs
its first autistic actor and an underground
performance has been showing some
disturbing truths. Looking ahead, the First
World War is to be interpreted in dance.

Enjoy some Sanctuary!
One of the films discussed in the previous
issue of Community Living – Sanctuary by
Len Collins – continues to be shown in Magpie Dance’s There Were Definitely Swans at the Gulbenkian in Canterbury
film festivals around the world and garner
praise and positive reviews. Time – spoke about the difficulties faced show Hollyoaks. It will be the first UK soap
This groundbreaking story of a couple’s by actors with learning disabilities. opera to feature a character with autism.
overnight stay in a hotel helped to change “The biggest challenge I face is that Talia Grant will be the first autistic
the law in Ireland that made sex between people with learning disabilities just woman to land a mainstream role on
learning disabled adults illegal. aren’t seen as eligible to perform in british Tv. She was one of more than 150
The film is now more easily available for theatres … people with learning applicants who auditioned for the role of
us all to enjoy as it has been released on disabilities aren’t listened to … We’re not school student Brooke Hathaway. Her
digital formats. It can be found in the Sky given the opportunities. character will feature in episodes from
Store, iTunes and Amazon so, if you “I first got involved professionally four June onwards.
haven’t managed to catch it yet, there years ago through Access All Areas’ In addition to raising awareness of
really is no excuse. performance-making diploma at the Royal autism, it is encouraging to see Tv script
Central School of Speech and Drama.” writers featuring autistic characters.
access all areas: Madhouse re: exit and
a new direction for Hollyoaks Magpie dance
An excellent theatre performance by a “ Five actors stage an Magpie Dance, a company for people with
company of learning disabled and autistic learning disabilities is joining forces with
actors is causing quite a stir. immersive underground Dr Lee Humber from Ruskin College,
Access all Areas production Madhouse journey to portray the Oxford to research the effects of the First
Re: Exit enjoyed a sold-out run at reality of being learning World War on people with learning
Shoreditch Town Hall in London in March, disabilities.
before moving to Manchester as part of disabled today The company, which is based in
The Lowry’s Week 53 Festival in may. ” Bromley, Kent, aims to explore this history
It is reviewed in this issue by Sean Kelly through dance.
(page 18) and discussed by Jan Walmsley The company, based in east London, Magpie says that research to date
(page 27). offers innovative projects for people with shows that, of the 40,000 people with
The production is based on the story of a broad range of learning disabilities learning disabilities housed in asylums
mabel Cooper, a resident of a long-stay providing training in the arts. It also offers across the country in the 20th century, up
hospital for people with learning consultancy and training to organisations to 12,000 were displaced when the
disabilities who campaigned against these and employers, and has been an buildings were requisitioned as war
institutions. Five learning disabled actors innovator in setting up the performance hospitals. This led to overcrowding,
stage an immersive underground journey, making diploma for learning disabled insufficient staffing and consequently a
including audience participation, to adults at the Royal Central School of disproportionately high mortality rate.
portray the reality of what it feels like to Speech and Drama. The partnership sounds like an amazing
be learning disabled in today’s society. Soap’s new story opportunity for a little-known part of
learning disability history to be explored
In an interview for The Stage, one of the
Magpie Dance performers – Cian binchy, the autism Access all Areas has also assisted with a and presented to a wider audience.
Fingers crossed for more great things in
groundbreaking first – it was involved in
consultant of the National Theatre’s The
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-
auditioning and casting for Channel 4
the future. n
www.cl-initiatives.co.uk Community Living Vol 31 No 4 | Summer 2018 29