Exit Pursued by DWP
Dear Shakespeare Enthusiast, Thank you for your feedback, but where does it explicitly say that Hamlet/Ophelia/Malevolio/Juliet/Bolingbroke/Puck insert everyone here (minus Richard III) is not Disabled?
In Shakespeare’s England disabled people were very much the norm, life was tough, people became disabled, but they weren’t segregated, they were key roles within communities, so common that disability was not even mentioned in a script.
Be part of this early Work-In-Progress dissecting how non disabled people have claimed 99% of Shakespeare’s characters.
Audiences are invited to pick a play, experience the poetry performed by performers with integrated audio description and BSL, and be part of reclaiming these classic characters as their feisty, defiant, harrowing, sexy, strong, funny, disabled and deaf selves.
All performances with integrated audio description, captions and BSL led.
Audio Flyer
Creatives
Benjamin Wilson is a blind actor, director and audio description consultant. He spent five years as the Ramps On The Moon Agent For Change at Sheffield Theatres and is now Trainee Artistic Director at Extant.
He co-founded theatre company Brick Wall Ensemble and creative audio description company Hear The Picture.
As an actor and creative some of his recent credits include Much Ado About Nothing and Guys and Dolls for Sheffield Theatres; Lord of the Flies, Macbeth, Oliver Twist and Rode for Leeds Playhouse; Three Billy Goats Gruff (Derby Theatre); Midsummer night’s Dream, (Royal Shakespeare Company) and both Henry 5 and Meic On The Mic for Brick Wall Ensemble.
In 2023 he was awarded a commendation at the Ian Charleson Award.
Laura Goulden was co-founder of Handprint Theatre producing and directing deaf and hearing integrated projects for young people for over 10 years. This included a British Council / Arts Council England International project working with Deaf West Theatre and young people at LA Deaf Fest.
Recent producing credits Flarewave Festival, Brighton 2022.
Alexandra is a director and dramaturg from the Midlands, a current Graeae Beyond artist and a former member of Sheffield Theatres Bank Cohort. Having trained at The Shakespeare Institute she has a passion for creating work that presents Shakespeare’s work in innovative and exciting ways, with a strong focus on accessibility and inclusivity.
She has directed widely, including for Graeae and JW Theatres, and as associate or assistant director her credits include numerous plays for DR1 Theatricals, productions for Graeae and Birmingham Rep, and two shows for Sheffield Theatres including the groundbreaking Rock/Paper/Scissors.
Below Decadence
by Simon Marshall
The Tempest meets BravoTV, Below Decadence tells Sebastian’s story in search of power, wealth and influence as he navigates mega-yachts and the mega-rich.
Part stand-up comedy, part character monologue, Below Decadence asks what’s a white lie to the filthy rich? And what’s too far for a villain?
Access
Please note there are no facilities for headset audio description in these performances.
Production Notes (a pre-recorded show introduction describing set, characters and visual elements of the show) will be made available for download on this event page one week prior to the performance date.
The artist has also integrated self-description into the performance.
These are work-in-progress performances and therefore are still in development. This includes elements of accessibility. We always appreciate feedback on access. Please do not hesitate to get in touch via access@nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk.
Simon Marshall is a playwright, poet and writing facilitator from Derbyshire. His writing explores place, belonging and ambition. He is Associate Poet for Derby Poetry Festival 2024 and his previous work includes: ‘BONFIRE’ Regional Tour 2023, ‘The Fossil Kids’ Sheffield Theatres 2023, ‘kilburn (not london)’ and the Stage Award-winning ‘Odyssey’ with Plus One.
Alice Fitzgerald is a director, dramaturg and playwright. She was nominated for Best Director at the Stage Debut Awards for her work on Purple Snowflakes and Titty Wanks, and is a co-mentor for Sheffield Theatres’ New Dramaturgs programme.
Curtis Dunn is a performer and Shakespeare scholar from Connecticut, based in Sheffield. He has a Masters in Shakespeare and Creativity from the University of Birmingham, and hosts the iconic ‘Jing and Tonic’ cabaret in Sheffield.
