|
Birds of
Paradise – the Company
 |
| Photograph from
rehearsals of
'Mouth of Silence'. |
BIRDS OF PARADISE is a professional touring
theatre company, which produces adventurous and challenging work that places
disability in the public arena. The Company has toured throughout Scotland
for 12 years with inventive programmes of performances and workshops, both
for traditional theatre-going audiences and people who have difficulty
experiencing theatre due to disability or geographical isolation.
BIRDS OF PARADISE shares its knowledge of good practice across the arts
and disability sector with a clear objective: to increase the number of
disabled professional theatre practitioners working in Scotland.
The Company recognise that in order to reverse hundreds of years of
discrimination against people with physical disabilities, it needs to present
high quality work and positive role models for contemporary Scottish Theatre,
its audiences and practitioners. These role models are also engaged to
support the Company’s work with physically disabled young people, who
continue to be excluded from participating and engaging in the arts.
Since 1995, the company has intensively trained 150 people over 22 acting
courses and technical skills. 400 general Outreach and Taster Workshops have
been run, involving approximately 4800 people. There have been 7 inclusive
touring productions with disabled and non-disabled performers and stage
workers. 23 disabled actors have been employed. 12 non-disabled actors have
also been employed. 4 disabled people were employed in technical jobs.
 |
Photograph from
rehearsals of
'Brazil 12 - Scotland 0'. |
Previous Productions include: The Farce of Circumstance, by Tom Lannon
(1995); The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui by Bertolt Brecht (1996); Tongues,
by Sam Shephard and Joseph Chaikin (1997); Working Legs, by Alistair
Gray(1998 commission); Playing for Keeps by Archie Hind (1998 commission);
Merman by Susan McClymont and Dave Buchanan (2000 commission); Twelve Black
Candles by Des Dillon (2001); The Irish Giant, by Garry Robson (2003) |
