Posts by Mik Scarlet
Tune In To Access – The Radical Sound of Many
March 22, 2019To celebrate Disabled Access Day on 16 March, Barbican, London hosted 'Tune In To Access,' featuring 'The Radical Sound of Many' five new pieces commissioned by Drake Music and composed and performed by emerging disabled talent. Review by Mik Scarlett. I know many Disabled people decry Disabled Access Day, stating that ...
Redefining Storme Toolis
June 15, 2018Storme Toolis is best known for playing the daughter of Nicholas Lyndhurst’s retired policeman Danny Griffin in New Tricks and starring in one of the award-winning Malteasers adverts, the one that was so risqué it had to be shown after the watershed. She is most proud of the theatre production ...
Let Me Play The Lion Too – the story behind the roar
February 26, 2018On March 3rd the Pit Theatre in London’s Barbican sees a performance, that marks the culmination of a two week workshop, Let Me Play The Lion Too. It will see a cast of disabled and non-disabled actors improvisational sharings led by Told By An Idiot. Mik Scarlet talks to actor ...
Liz Carr – The Silent Witness Roars
January 26, 2018Having attended an advance BAFTA preview of a special edition of Silent Witness, which features Liz Carr centre stage and a storyline addressing disability issues, Mik Scarlett argues that we are about to witness a watershed in disability representation on Television. The two-part episode ‘One Day’ airs on BBC One ...
Defiant Lives – The Battles of Our Yesterdays Mirrored In Our Today
November 16, 2017'Defiant Lives' is the story of the rise of the disability rights movement in the USA, UK and Australia. Mik Scarlet went to a Demand Film preview of this groundbreaking film on 1 November It can be all too easy to go through life without knowing the battles that were fought ...
John Kelly: So Many Reasons To Be Cheerful
August 29, 2017Singer, songwriter and activist John Kelly’s life must feel like he’s on a runaway train. This month sees John begin another tour of Graeae Theatre Company’s riotous musical featuring the songs of Ian Dury, Reasons To Be Cheerful, and the release of a new single, If It Can’t Be Right, ...
The Braille Legacy – a case for better communication with the disability arts sector
June 14, 2017The West End musical The Braille Legacy tells the story of Louis Braille, one of the world’s most famous blind people. Mik Scarlet asks can a missed opportunity leave a legacy in response to wide media comment on the show's lack of blind or visually impaired actors as members of ...
Drake Music DM Resonate – Let the Music Play
March 22, 2017On 17 March 2017 Drake Music hosted a special event showcasing a series of original commissions as part of its Connect and Collaborate programme working with disabled artists. The event took place at the Institute of Contemporary Art, London. Review by Mik Scarlet. For many years, I have been associated with ...
Unlimited: Sheila Hill’s: HIM – A Gentle Triumph
September 17, 2016Sheila Hill’s Unlimited commission (administered by Shape and Artsadmin) gave reknowned actor Tim Barlow the opportunity to take centre stage at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall on 10 September as part of Unlimited Festival. Review by Mik Scarlett We all live lives where a quiet battle rages behind the scenes. ...
Assisted Suicide – What’s The Big Song and Dance?
July 18, 2016With the announcement of Liz Carr's Unlimited production Assisted Suicide – The Musical previewing in late July, Mik Scarlet thought it a good idea to explore some of the wider implications of assisted dying. Recently the debate around Assisted Dying has become a cause célèbre and is now one of the ...
Technology Is Key
May 22, 2015Mik Scarlet started out on the road to being a musician when he was given a toy electric keyboard and thanks to music technology, became one a handful of disabled musicians performing during a period when it was almost unheard of. Here he charts the progress of assistive music technology ...
Music for the Masses
November 21, 2014Dao asked Mik Scarlet to capture a slice of Disability Arts history from the 1990s when a bunch of disabled musicians set their sights on a career within the music industry. He looks back with a sense of pride at what they achieved against inumerable odds. With Disability History Month nearly ...
