Birmingham Hippodrome is to stage a one-day conference, On the Verge, which will look at how theatres can be opened up to learning disabled performers.
Confirmed speakers include deputy artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company Erica Whyman, Charlotte Bevan, the National Theatre’s director of creative diversity, and writer and comedian Henry Normal.
Andy Reeves, the Hippodrome’s head of creative learning, said, “On The Verge is an important moment to look at how we as a venue alongside our arts peers and cultural partners are doing in delivering successful access projects and in supporting learning disabled artists.
“While Birmingham Hippodrome has made significant steps forward in this area, we don’t have all the answers and this conference is an opportunity for everyone to share best practice and learn from all those working in this field so that we can all have a clearer idea of our next steps as either venue, programmers, directors or performers.”
The conference will be held on Tuesday 4 July. On the previous evening there will be a relaxed performance of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. It is open to anyone, in particular those with an autistic spectrum condition, learning disability or sensory and communication disorder.