Elise Davison of Taking Flight Theatre: The ‘go to’ organisation in Wales for inspiration on inclusive theatre

“Accessible theatre? Do it properly…Do it like this” The Guardian on Taking Flight’s peeling.

Here, the company’s Elise Davison tells us about their exciting plans for this autumn.

At Taking Flight we make bold, unusual theatre productions that place D/deaf and disabled non-disabled performers centre stage. Our work tours Wales and beyond and we often find ourselves in geographically isolated or rural places, performing in woodlands, castle grounds, community centres or shopping arcades as well as traditional theatre venues & schools.

This autumn we are taking big steps out into the wider world with two tours into England and a trip to Germany, where we will not only showcase our work but have been invited as an example of best practice in accessible theatre.

We are also making a giant leap closer to home by establishing a youth theatre for d/Deaf/hard of hearing young people in our home city of Cardiff, the first of its kind in Wales.

Having developed our own practice over 10 years, we’ve become the “go to” organisation in Wales for advice, information or inspiration on integrating access & working with inclusive casts. We’ve worked alongside & supported companies like Likely Story, The Atrium, Bath Spa University, Cascade Dance Theatre, University of Wales Trinity St David’s and Mess up the Mess.

After our cast perform Kaite O’Reilly’s critically acclaimed play peeling at Theater Festival Grenzenlos Kulture in Mainz; Elise, our Artistic Director, will take part in an event where people from throughout the theatre industry in Germany can question her and learn about Taking Flight’s journey, gaining advice on how our practices can be incorporated and adapted to fit their organisations.

Mainz is the second date on our peeling calendar. Having received a number of five and four star reviews from critics during a tour of Wales earlier in the year, this searing production of Kaite O’Reilly’s ‘Theatre Wales’ award-winning play, peeling is back on the road for a ten date tour of theatres across the country, beginning at Arlington Arts in Newbury and ending at Jacksons Lane in London.

First performed in 2002, when hailed a game-changer in feminist and accessible theatre, peeling is a gripping, often blisteringly funny, and at times painful play that surprises audiences every time.

A play within a play, peeling takes us backstage during a production of the Trojan Women, into a world of stories, of secrets, and a world where we meet three fierce, intelligent women whose fate seems to be always the chorus and never the lead. Whilst the epic, postmodern production of the Greek tragedy is played out before them, Alfa, Beaty and Coral wait at the back of the stage where they have been shoved because the theatre dressing rooms are not accessible to them.

As they await their brief moments in the spotlight, they comment on the action that they witness night after night. They discuss war and its effects, desire, motherhood, reproductive rights and, of course, celebrity gossip. They stitch sequins on to knickers, knit and make soup out of sight of their audience. As they bitch, moan and share, the audience gets to know them, what they are hiding and what they choose to reveal.

For me, both peeling the play and our production of it have something important to say about war, women, disabled politics, and how people keep repeating the same damaging courses of action. Our production in particular is stunningly visual with fabulous integration of BSL, captions, audio description and great set and costumes! I love that it is a major theatrical achievement and fabulous example of how things can be staged. I feel, like Beaty, that actors should be judged on their abilities not any perceived disability”. Ruth Curtis, who plays Beaty in Taking Flight’s Peeling.

We so rarely see a true representation of society on stage – Taking Flight have worked tirelessly to challenge this under representation. For over 10 yrs we have been placing D/deaf and disabled actors centre stage. We have been frustrated by the lack of positive role models on our stages, especially in Wales and have worked hard to change this. peeling places women slap bang in the middle of the stage. Unapologetic and uncompromising. Our inclusive cast of four women make the audience sit up and take notice, question themselves and the world around them.

Last weekend, we opened our English tour of You’ve Got Dragons at Derby Signfest. You’ve Got Dragons is an inclusive and accessible take on Kathryn Cave’s beloved children’s book. With the support of Arts Council England and house theatre we are taking it on a 13 date tour, mainly of venues in the South East of England.

The show is suitable for young children, schools and families, and is fully accessible to D/deaf, Hard of Hearing, blind or Visually Impaired audience members via integrated BSL, captions and audio description. The cast is an integrated cast of D/deaf and hearing actors. Stephanie Back and Roger Hudson are Deaf, Charlie Raine is hard of hearing and the fourth actor Sam Bees is hearing.

I’d adapted one of Kathryn’s books before and after we first met she sent me You’ve Got Dragons as a suggestion to put on the stage. The book completely hit home with me and it felt like the perfect story for Taking Flight to take on. I’d never formally adapted a book before so I worked with Samuel Bees (who is also in the show) to create the play.

For me it was about providing a vocabulary for parents and teachers to talk to children about mental health in a way that wasn’t scary and wasn’t taboo. I was very conscious that this play wasn’t going to change the world but it might just start some conversations that needed to happen.

Alongside our touring work, we seek to find & 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 D/deaf or disabled & are looking for the next step into a career in theatre, or to develop existing skills & build confidence.

Our next challenge is to open a youth theatre for d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing young people in Cardiff. We have been lucky to secure funding from BBC Children In Need to make this long term dream a reality. With our partners National Deaf Children’s Society and Wales Millennium Centre, we will run weekly workshops for young people aged 4-18. Activity will be run by a Deaf leader/ role model in English and BSL.

We’ll have high expectations, working towards sharing events- with the young people working both as performers and in backstage/ technical roles. Deaf creative industry professionals will be brought in to run specific sessions such as Visual Vernacular for performance, physical comedy, puppetry.

Each summer and Easter there will be a weeks’ “residency” (non- residential) for the older groups where participants will receive intensive training with sharings at the end of the week. We will also run field trips to theatre events run by leading lights in Deaf theatre such a Deafinitely Theatre & The Deaf and Hearing Ensemble that will inspire and motivate our young participants. It’s exciting stuff.

At Taking Flight, we are fighting for a time when we no longer have use the word inclusive or integrated because ALL theatre will be. A time when access isn’t an add on but a creative choice and will apply to all performances. A time when equality really exists. We keep fighting – this autumn, we are doing it two shows and one youth theatre at a time!

Elise Davison is the artistic director for Taking Flight Theatre. You can see news of their productions and forthcoming tours on www.takingflighttheatre.org.uk