For centuries disabled people have existed on stages, and in literature as villains, objects of ridicule or pity, and never in our own right. Disabled lives have been narrated by others – framed through fear, charity or tragedy – rather than told through our own voices.

Disabled people’s experiences don’t fit familiar narratives and our art and activism is so readily dismissed by a world that often refuses to see us as fully human – a world that, at times, would rather we didn’t exist.

Through a series of creative reflections, open discussion and shared reflection, we will ask what it means to reshape the North East theatre landscape around the Disability Canon, and how reimaging those stories can shift culture, policy, systems and power.

There will be BSL interpretation provided by Becoming Visible, available through the online tickets.

If you are d/Deaf and require BSL interpretation, please book an online ticket.

A big thank you to Northumberland Estates for making this interpretation possible.

Ed Cole (Artistic & Executive Director, Alphabetti Theatre) and Bex Bowsher (Theatre Director and Development Manager for Difference North East) will be available after the event to discuss issues raised with anyone who may prefer a 1-to-1 setting.