Breaking the Box: Consortium Members

The Organisations in the Breaking the Box consortium:

Taking Flight Theatre

Our vision is of a world where the stories told & the voices heard are genuinely reflective of the world we live in; where the theatre we make understands audiences of all backgrounds & invites and welcomes them in; where the field is level & everyone has equal access.

Our mission is to smash down barriers to participating in theatre & to constantly push the boundaries of creative access. It is to drive forward equal representation of Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people in theatre by levelling the stage. It is to alter the arts landscape in Wales & beyond by challenging others to think more inclusively.

At Taking Flight we make bold, unusual theatre productions with Deaf, disabled, non-disabled and neurodiverse performers. Our work tours Wales and beyond and we often find ourselves in out of the way places, as well as traditional theatre venues.

Alongside our touring work, we nurture the next generation of disabled talent, both on stage & behind the scenes. We’ve done this through running inclusive professional training courses & mentoring schemes for people who identify as Deaf, disabled or neurodivergent & are looking for the next step into a career in theatre, or to develop existing skills & build confidence.

With over 10 years experience, we’ve become the “go to” organisation in Wales for advice, information or inspiration on integrating access & working with inclusive casts. We love to share what we’ve learnt about working inclusively, and host regular events aimed at inspiring other arts organisations to think outside the box when it comes to working with under-represented artists, and to explore new ways of making & marketing accessible work.

Disability Arts Cymru (DAC)

DAC is disability-led and focused to reflect the lived experience of disabled/Deaf people.  In working to the social model of disability, we acknowledge that it is systemic barriers, negative attitudes, and exclusion by society (intentionally or unconsciously) that are the main instrumental factors in disabling people.

The arts provide a platform that can be used to challenge the prevalent negative perceptions of disabled people, highlight inequalities, and support social justice alternatives. DAC uses the arts to educate, challenge attitudes, challenge and remove barriers that restrict life choices for disabled people to live independently and equally within society.

Therefore, it is a given that all DAC’s work aims to be accessible and as barrier–free as possible when presenting its arts activities.  As such, we will embrace diversity, particularly promoting and celebrating the language and culture of Cymru.

We aim to be the standard bearer for the nation and seek to be an exemplar of best practice here in Wales, the UK and internationally.

Hynt   

Hynt is the national access scheme for theatres and arts centres in Wales. Hynt is an Arts Council of Wales initiative, managed by Creu Cymru in partnership with Diverse Cymru. Hynt works with theatres and arts centres in Wales to make sure there is a consistent offer available for Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent visitors; visitors with an access requirement; and their Essential Companion or Carer.

The Project Administrator for Hynt will be involved in the project. Hynt will play a role in co-ordinating the Industry Sharing Day and the Project Administrator will share the learning through Creu Cymru and Hynt’s networks, meetings, and events. Hynt can work with the venues involved to support them long term. Hynt’s Project Administrator will also act in a support role for the Project Coordinator. 

Theatrau Sir Gâr / Carmarthenshire Theatres

Theatrau Sir Gâr is a collective of three performing arts venues within Carmarthenshire, these being Ffwrnes in Llanelli; The Lyric in Carmarthen; and Theatr y Glowyr (The Miners’) in Ammanford.  Our service is wholly managed and operated by Carmarthenshire County Council, as part of the Culture & Leisure service within the Communities division.

Ffwrnes is the county’s flagship performing arts venue and was opened in 2013 with a £15 million investment in the heart of Llanelli. It is one of Wales’s newest and most modern theatres, and one of the nation’s best technically equipped and most accessible venues. The Lyric in Carmarthen and Y Glowyr in Ammanford both have a rich heritage and history, are well-loved by their respective communities, and provide a varied theatre-going experience. With three very different venues serving the three principal towns in the county, this provides the flexibility to present a broad, diverse, and accessible programme for our audiences.

RCT Theatres

RCT Theatres are a valuable cultural asset for Rhondda Cynon Taf, its residents and visitors.  The iconic and historical Coliseum Theatre, Aberdare and Park & Dare Theatre, Treorchy are building upon their exciting presented and participative programme through production and co-production work with artists that chime with our communities

The theatres serve a population of almost 235,000, and are situated within the town centres of Aberdare and Treorchy.  Both provide a professional facility for presenting, creating and participating in the arts, and are used by local community and amateur groups of all ages for this purpose.

 Through presenting, producing, participation and partnerships, RCT Theatres has a vision to be put on the map locally, nationally and internationally.  Our way of working with artists and residents is about building upon the RCT Theatres’ reputation as valuable cultural assets ensuring they are accessible to all and creating work with and for their communities.

Pontio

Pontio is an arts centre which is part of Bangor University. It has now been open, as an arts centre, for five years and during this time we have presented a diverse offering of touring content and co-production. Audience members of all ages and backgrounds have been welcomed to a multitude of arts events and activities. From our two live art spaces, 500-capacity main stage Theatr Bryn Terfel, 120-capacity studio and 220-capacity cinema, we have presented theatre, contemporary dance, ballet, circus, aerial dance, opera, classical music, contemporary and pop music, film and visual art from local, national and international artists and creative organisations.

Pontio Arts is a multi-arts hub, a melting pot of all art forms, platforming the best of Wales, the UK and international cultural and artistic offerings. This offer means that we reach a varied and wide demographic of the community and for us to sustain, develop and grow this engagement and inclusive ethos, we must continue to challenge ourselves in the way we deliver it.

We also operate an active and dynamic bilingual participatory arts programme, BLAS, which has regularly engaged with schools and community groups in the area throughout the past five years.

As a University arts centre, we will take a lead role in the learning and placement element and we are excited to develop Pontio as an accessible and inclusive venue for audiences, staff and performers alike.

Awen Cultural Trust 

Awen Cultural Trust was established in 2015 as a charitable organisation with objectives to enhance cultural opportunities in Bridgend and the wider region.

Our purpose is to Make People’s Lives Better by providing space and opportunity for people to enjoy vibrant cultural experiences that inspire and enhance their sense of wellbeing.

We work collaboratively with others across the private, public and third sectors to achieve greater social impact and benefit for our customers, staff and stakeholders.

We are committed to supporting the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 through our facilities, activities and programmes.

We are an agile, resilient and robust organisation, steadfastly focused on improving experiences and outcomes for our beneficiaries.