The partners are: Taking Flight Theatre, Hynt, Awen Cultural Trust Disability Arts Cymru, Carmarthenshire Theatres, Pontio and RCT Theatres.

Breaking the Box is developing a network of inclusive, accessible venues in Wales that are confident & supported in welcoming diverse artists, backstage crew & administrators, as well as audiences. The project provides training & support to emerging Deaf & disabled theatre workforce via the Early Career Creatives programme and is inbuilding future roles for Deaf & disabled creatives to Wales’s venues, thus reimagining the creative workforce. We’re working to identify a benchmark for Wales in terms of where we’re at with inclusive practice & access as well as sharing project learning across the sector in Wales & beyond.

Phase one of the project saw us work with Deaf Theatre-maker and facilitator Mary-Jayne Russell de Clifford as Project Manager for the ECC Programme offering placement opportunities, support and networking to Emily Rose Corby & Mason Lima, the Breaking the Box early career creatives. We  also supported Emily, Mason and other early career Deaf and disabled creatives to attend the Edinburgh Festival as well as training opportunities and placements. With Dr Louise Fryer, we  trained a cohort of new Wales-based audio describers, including describers who can work in Welsh. All venue partner staff received Deaf and Disability awareness training. We marked the end of the first phase of the project holding an industry sharing day in Ffwrnes, Llanelli.