Kent Based not-for-profit creative arts organisation MixMatched CIC are delighted to announce they have received an Arts Council England project grant of £36,466 to support provision for a workshop and a performance/spoken word night, every month in venues in Kent, to benefit the community, culture and creativity of neurodivergent people.

Additionally MixMatched have been funded to attend 4 festivals over 2024 and to produce a number of professional ND inclusive shows where performers will be offered a fee.

Emma Robdale, Alice Riley, Holly McCulloch have been running regular performance nights since February 2022. MixMatched became a CIC in May 2023 and intend to use this funding to improve ND solidarity and visibility within Kent.

I’m so incredibly proud of the community we’ve built and the safe space we’ve managed to create for budding poets, comedians, and performers. My background is in drama and therapy and so I was invested in facilitating a welcoming space for people to get up on stage as I know the benefits of feeling heard by a group and stepping out of one’s comfort zone.

My favourite aspect of the nights we run is the audience poem. Throughout the evening members of the audience can contribute a line of their own inspired by something on the night, which then becomes a collective piece of poetry that we perform back to them. It’s a real coming together moment where everyone can be involved without feeling in the spotlight. I’m very excited and am looking forward to the project growing and reaching more people who will benefit from it.
Holly McCulloch  

I attended my first MixMatched event shortly after moving to Kent during a turbulent phase in my life, and it provided an immediate sense of community. Before then, I hadn’t had the opportunity to talk to other neurodivergent people in person, and I vividly remember sharing experiences with other performers at the first meet-and-greet event.

Our events have been my happy place. For me, funding amplifies the organisation’s legitimacy, allowing us to run more professional events. It’s been a lifelong dream to publish a book, so I am very excited as we gear up to release ‘Atypical Love.’ The feeling of holding the anthology in my hands will be a momentous achievement. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity and eagerly anticipate the impact our work will continue to have.
Alice Riley

As a Neurodivergent+ identifying artist I wanted to foster a community where like-minded creatives could meet, play and support one-another. MixMatched has grown from strength to strength, encouraging many first-time performers to take to the stage alongside several seasoned artists who enjoy our space. We encourage performances on any topic/genre, but many performers’ acts advocate elements of their own Neurodivergent experience. This makes MixMatched an incredibly special environment; not only do people feel heard, but with such a high population of ND members, you feel a sense of kinship and understanding.

Several of our members experience social anxiety but, within MixMatched spaces have been able to more confidently network and collaborate, giving birth to an autistic improvisational comedy group (Autistic Assemble) and other Neurodivergent nights. The money awarded to us by Arts Council England not only means that we can sustain our MixMatched nights, but we’ll also be able to provide several creative workshops. I am ecstatic to be directing an arts organisation dedicated to further developing Neurodivergent solidarity, culture and creativity. Bring on 2024!
Emma Robdale