Debating the lived experiences of theatre practice and disability among professional directors and actors

This article overviews Arts Council England’s current diversity strategy and initiatives, and pinpoints how this may impact professional directors and disabled actors’ experiences of working in theatre. The call to increase the participation of disabled actors in theatre is widening. Long-standing public debate surrounding casting choices and accessibility has been bolstered by external pressure from funding bodies. Arts Council England has shifted its strategy, now publishing annual disability data for all its funded theatres and exposing those that fail to adequately represent disabled people in the workforce. At ground-level directors and disabled actors working in producing house theatres must consider their response to this. For some this may require exploration of new territory. Impactful shifts in strategy require a shift in individuals, so complex intersections between theatre, disability studies and phenomenology fast become integral to understanding theatre as a workplace. The article therefore establishes the need for further rich and detailed study of the personal, lived experiences of theatre practice and disability among directors and disabled actors in theatres funded by Arts Council England under this developing strategy.