Find Out How Nottingham Playhouse Are Working With Ramps on the Moon to Improve Inclusivity in Theatre

Like most areas of employment, theatre hasn’t always been kind to the disabled community. Whether through a lack of support workers, poor access to facilities, or the use of tired old tropes, it’s traditionally been difficult for disabled folk to break into the stage world. And, while 19% of the population nationally identify as disabled, only 4% of the arts industry classify themselves as such. 

Yet the tides are starting to change, and theatres are making active strides to improve their accessibility, largely through the concept of becoming ‘disability-led’. A term that’s gained a lot of traction in the past few years, the official definition given by Arts Council England states disability must be represented in a company's entire structure - a sentiment mirrored by Nottingham’s Nikki Charlesworth, the current Agent for Change at the Nottingham Playhouse. “For me, disability-led means that the concept and the creative direction is entirely led by a disabled person,” she explains, “but also that we’re considering disabled identity and disabled history as a part of that.” 

Jumping on Zoom, we chat more about Nikki’s role, which is funded by Ramps on the Moon - an organisation created to normalise the presence of deaf and disabled people on stage. A position that she started just over a year ago, Nikki explains that it’s a mixed role. She advises on access and inclusion across all departments, and her day to day tasks vary greatly. “For example, I’ve set up an access working group for customers, collaborators and freelancers who identify as disabled, where they can talk about where The Playhouse is doing well and where it can improve,” she tells me, “so that’s very practical. But I've also done some creative things like creating BSL (British Sign Language) lessons for employees of The Playhouse and making a BSL brochure for upcoming shows.”

Part of an ongoing trend in disability inclusion, Nottingham Playhouse aren’t the only Nottingham group aiming to improve their accessibility. In fact, we recently saw City Arts provide a residency for deaf, disabled or neurodivergent artists, through which they offered £1,200 to a creative person fitting this description. Plus, we’re also seeing a rise in local exhibitions centred around disability, notably found in Carolyn Lazard’s recent installation Long Take at the Nottingham Contemporary - a completely dark showcase which puts the viewer in the position of a blind or partially-sighted person. “I think a lot has happened in popular culture that has made people interested in creative work that is inclusive and representative,” Nikki says, “which is really positive.” 

Yet there are, of course, still many barriers to disabled people and the arts. When it comes to disability, Nikki points out that venues need a lot more groundwork and infrastructure changes. Then, in addition to the building itself, a massive barrier occurs in the expected deadlines of creative projects. “Especially in theatre, often things can move with such a tight turnaround that it becomes a barrier,” she explains. Plus, in an industry that is so heavily reliant on networking, there is often an access barrier to disabled people attending social events. As Nikki says, “Often it’s harder for disabled people to get their names out there, because they may need an access worker at these social events and this would count as a personal expense. As you can imagine, it has a big knock-on effect.” 

So, while we’re heading in the right direction, there’s still plenty of work to be done. How? “By continuing to advocate and facilitate space for conversation,” Nikki explains, “and swallowing your own pride when you don’t know something, and instead just being ready to ask and to listen.”

You can learn more about Nikki’s access work on her website