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Blog - Performing Arts

An Asian woman wearing a white coat and a face mask is holding out a piece of card with a large heart printed upon it.

2021: Annual Highlights

January 10, 2022 - by

As I come to reflect back on the past year it's hard not comment on what a difficult year 2021 was – a year of uncertainty and fear when many disabled communities were made to feel abandoned by the government’s failure to take disabled lives into consideration when making decisions ...

graphic with the words 'comedy on referral'

Introducing: Comedy on Referral

December 16, 2021 - by

I adore comedy, and I think that there are some amazing things that stand up can achieve. Goodness knows it’s given me huge amounts of confidence and the ability to talk about my own disabilities and past traumas in a way that makes them accessible and so brings ...

a head and shoulders portrait of Mik Scarlet wearing a cheeky grin and a blue shirt

CRIPtic Arts: Mik Scarlet Podcast Episode 10

November 17, 2021 - by

In the final episode of the CRIPtic Arts Podcast, our host Mik Scarlet reflects on the previous episodes and his discussions with the artists. Mik talks all things CRIPtic, the Barbican performance and Mik's own journey in the arts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEKKTHFrRpk  

a person of mixed race with short curly hair with shaved sides. They are wearing round glasses and a brown jacket over a colourful shirt

CRIPtic Arts: Bibi June Podcast Episode 7

November 8, 2021 - by

In the seventh episode of the CRIPtic Arts Podcast Mik Scarlet talks with Bibi June to discuss their performance for CRIPtic, their creative process and more. Bibi June is a poet, theatre maker & producer. They run spoken word theatre company ‘In The Works’ and have performed their collaborative spoken word ...

a white person stands in front of a hanging microphone

CRIPtic Arts: Oli Isaac Podcast Episode 6

November 4, 2021 - by

In episode six Mik Scarlet chats with Oli Isaac about all things CRIPtic, the Barbican performance and more. Oli Isaac is an artist who works across poetry, film, and theatre to explore the failures of language through their lived experiences of having a stutter, and being non-binary. Oli is one half ...

A photo of a white woman in a wheelchair and a white man seated on a stool, facing each other, side-on against a black backdrop on a theatre stage.

The Normal Heart – revealing the damaging effects of normative heterosexuality

November 2, 2021 - by

Liz Carr gives the performance of her life in the National Theatre's production of The Normal Heart – a play written from the depths of the 1980s AIDS crisis. Directed with sensitivity by Dominic Cooke the National Theatre's production The Normal Heart is a raging 2 hour 25 minute protest against ...

a young black wheelchair user with a lot of black curly hair.

CRIPtic Arts: Miss Jacqui’s Podcast Episode 4

October 29, 2021 - by

In the fourth episode Mik Scarlet chats with Miss Jacqui to talk all things CRIPtic, the Barbican performance and much more. Miss Jacqui is a Poet and Songwriter. Her debut EP ‘Perception’ explores themes of being heard, body image and mental health. Her work challenges societal perceptions, such as what intersectionality ...

two young women are standing together on a stage with their arms around each other.

My review of the one-woman play Sophie

October 22, 2021 - by

I recently got the chance to see the Hiding Place Theatre’s play Sophie at Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield. I won’t lie, I was a bit wary as I’ve seen autobiographical pieces in the past which have been really good, but like all theatre, some of my experiences ...

black and white photo of white, male, disabled artist

CRIPtic Arts | JAMIE HALE Podcast Episode 1

October 15, 2021 - by

In the first episode the brains behind the company Jamie Hale talks to producer Mik Scarlet about all things CRIPtic, the Barbican performance on 19th and 20th November 2021 and what is next for Jamie. Grab a cuppa and come join us for the first episode! Jamie Hale is a queer ...

photo of a red lantern against a dark background

What does the world of the Dragon Cello look like?

September 18, 2021 - by

Director Kate Lovell describes creating films for Define Your Journey’s digital journey through a dragon-eye lens Trudging through long grass with my youngest daughter strapped to my front, I emerge from an archway of tree branches into open fields and across the expanse, I see it, standing proud: the enigmatic relic ...