Chronology of Disability Arts 1977 - 2017 by Allan Sutherland Chronology of Disability Arts by Allan Sutherland 1977 - April 2017 An ongoing project Sources: Allan Sutherland’s personal archives Disability Arts in London magazine (DAIL) Disability Arts magazine (DAM) Shape Arts Disability Arts Online Commissioned by NDACA Timeline cover design and text formating by Liam Hevey, NDACA Producer 1976 1984 • SHAPE founded. • Fair Play ‘campaign for disabled people in the arts’ founded. 1977 • Strathcona Theatre Company, ‘Now and Then’. • Basic Theatre Company founded by Ray Harrison • Graeae Theatre Company, ‘Cocktail Cabaret’. Graham. Devised by the company. Directed by Caroline Noh. • Graeae Theatre Company, ‘Practically Perfect’. 1980 Theatre in Education show. Written by Ashley Grey. • Graeae (Theatre group of Disabled People) Directed by Geoff Armstrong. founded by Nabil Shaban and Richard Tomlinson. • ‘Choices’. Central TV Programme about the First production: ‘Sideshow’, devised by Richard Theatre In Education work of Graeae Theatre Tomlinson and the company. Company. • British Council of Organisations of Disabled People founded. 1985 • GLC funds 7 month pioneer project for ‘No 1981 Kidding’, a ‘project using puppets to increase • International Year of Disabled People. awareness of disability in Junior Schools’. Company • ‘Carry On Cripple’ season of feature films about of four performers with and without disabilities. disability at National Film Theatre, programmed by • Ellen Wilkie, ‘Pithy Poems’ published. Allan Sutherland and Steve Dwoskin. • Strathcona Theatre Company, ‘Tonight at Eight’ • Artsline founded. 25th October • Path Productions founded, ‘then the only • Samena Rama speaks on Disability and company to integrate the able-bodied, physically Photography as part of Black Arts Forum weekend and mentally disabled performers’. (ICA). • Oily Cart founded, aiming to provide theatre for very young and young people with complex learning 1986 disabilities. • John McGrath appointed Development Oficer for • Graeae Theatre Company, ‘3D’. Devised by Arts Integration Merseyside, a SHAPE type service, Richard Tomlinson and the company. with funding from Merseyside Arts. Later job- • Directed by Nic Fine. sharing with a disabled woman, Mandy Colleran. • BBC2 ‘Arena’ documentary on the work of Graeae By 1987 the organisation will have two disabled Theatre Company. women workers and a Users Committee of 90% 1982 disabled people. It will later become North West Disability Arts Forum (NWDAF). • Strathcona Theatre first public performance. • Working Parts formed ‘with the aim of promoting • Graeae Theatre Company ‘M3 Junction 4’. Co- visual theatre, puppetry and music by and for directed by Richard Tomlinson and Nic Fine. disabled people through performance and/or • ‘People’s Minds’. Channel 4 documentary about workshops’. Funded Haringey Arts Council the making of Graeae’s ‘M3 Junction 4’. • Workshops at Mulberry Day Centre Deptford - 1983 the start of what will become Heart ‘n Soul - run by SHAPE and the Albany Empire, Deptford. Their • First Covent Garden Day of Disabled Artists. first show is ‘The Great Rock and Roll Dance’, (Organised by Geof Armstrong, then worker for in which they are joined by jazz group Jodelko. SHAPE). Subsequently, they get bookings from Covent • Graeae Theatre Company, ‘The Endless Variety Garden Disabled Artists Day, Lewisham People’s Show’. Written by Chris Speyer. Directed by Geoff Day, LDAF event at Watermans and a tour of Armstrong. SHAPE venues. • Graeae Theatre Company, ‘Not Too Much to Ask. • Strathcona Theatre Company, ‘This Very Same Written by Patsy Rodenburg. Directed by Caroline Hall’. Noh. • Mockbeggar Theatre Company set up. • Graeae Theatre Company, ‘Casting Out’. Written • Arts Integration Merseyside (later to become and directed by Nigel Jamieson. North West Disability Arts Forum) withdraws from the SHAPE Network at the Chorley Conference. • Graeae Theatre Company, ‘Working Hearts’. and associates. Paper by Vic Finkelstein (LDAF, Written by Noel Grieg. Directed by Maggie Ford. BCODP and OU). One of themes was that ‘disabled 26th July people constitute an oppressed group in society’. • Disability Arts Forum Day ‘Disability - Our Arts, Resolution passed that a working party of disabled Our Culture’, (Albany Centre) people should draft a comprehensive SHAPE » National Youth Theatre of the Deaf, ‘Cabaret’. network policy document about its future work with » Discussion. disabled people and the arts. » Graeae Theatre (Pictures show ‘Sideshow’ , 5th-8th December with Jag Plah, Maggie Woolley). • Shape workshop exhibition. ‘An exhibition of » Adam Reynolds, sculpture. sculpture and photographs of activities and work » Sets up London Disability Arts Forum done by Shape workshops for mentally handicapped Steering Group. Members: Michael Abelson, young people’ (Hammond Community Centre Geof Armstrong, Haim Attar, Rudi Breakwell- NW1) Bos, Linda Bunn, Lawrence Dawkins, Andrew 10th December Dick, Kathy Fenton, Vic Finkelstein, Clair • Gemini Arts presents ‘We must Go’ by Magic Graydon-James, Chris Harrison, Stephen Box Theatre Co (Special Education Centre, Lissom Herbert, Stella Hutton, Jan Jodelko, Clifford Grove). Kent, John Mason, Martin Norris, Jean Poitevin, Kate Portal, Geraldine Quinn, Anne Rae, Adam 1987 Reynolds, Dorothy Rolston, Angela Smith, • Heart ‘n Soul founded. Michael Turner, Sian Vasey, Anna Young. • Simon Brisenden, ‘Poems for Perfect People’ (Self » Photos of the day by CLIC (Community Links published). in Camera). • Graeae Theatre Company, ‘Equality Street’. Theatre » Organised by representatives of SHAPE, In Education shows. Devised by Ashley Grey and Artsline, Graeae, Haringey Disability Geoff Armstrong. Association, Strathcona and Greenwich • Graeae Theatre Company, ‘Private View’. By Tasha Association for Disabled People. Fairbanks. Directed by Anna Furse. Graeae’s first women’s project. National and international tour. November 1986 • First issue of Disability Arts in London (DAIL) January 1987 edited by Artsline. Sian Vasey, Michael Hempstead, • DAIL reports the cancellation of two planned Pat Place, Claire Wheeler, Rudi Breakwell-Bos. The conferences: magazine is co-owned by LDAF, Artsline and Arts » ‘Artability’, organised by Carnegie Council to Media Group. follow up Attenborough report on the Arts and • Common Ground Sign Dance Theatre set up. Disabled People (published 1986). Organised • ‘Origins of Room Temperature’ Exhibition with without consultation with disabled people. Adam Reynolds, Nicola Oxley and Nicolas de Protests at ‘its emphasis on art therapy and on Oliviera. (Adam Gallery, Walcot Square). administrators letting us into the arts world, • Rainmaker picture story theatre on tour. ‘Exists rather than on our own creativity’. Concern to bring enjoyment and appreciation of theatre at a about high ticket cost and access. high artistic and professional level to all children, » ‘Why Not?’. Initiative of West Sussex especially the partially hearing’. Company includes Association for the Disabled and Arun district Tim Barlow ‘who has severe hearing loss himself’. council. Intended to be ‘a practical, hard- • Replacement funding for ‘No Kidding’ agreed with working conference which aims to tackle and ILEA. solve the problems preventing nearly 5,000,000 • Moving On ‘86 Festival of Arts by Disabled People. disabled people from enjoying the arts and Artists include Isobel Ward. Chat’s Palace, E9. entertainment’. Cancelled ‘because of low number of people wanting to attend’. December 1986 • Contrasts with success of day conference • Ellen Wilkie scripting new video with Double ‘Disability - Our Arts, Our Culture’, ‘conceived, Exposure. • LDAF Christmas party, Boundary Road December 86. Music from Jodelko. Poems by Ellie Wilkie. • Annual conference of SHAPE network workers planned and executed by disabled people’, which » On the 28th Feb: Arts Day for Everyone. led directly to setting up of London Disability Arts Workshops in dance, drama and music for Forum (LDAF)’. people with and without disabilities. Day ends 6th - 17th January with ‘the Mulberry Crew from Lewisham, a • PATH Productions present ‘Godspell’ with Nabil group of disabled musicians, performing their Shaban, Jag Plah and Rashmi Kawa, Fio Dennison, own songs’. » Ellie Hames.(Jeanetta Cochrane Theatre, WC1,). Exhibition of art by disabled artists. 12th Jan - 4th February March 1987 • ‘We Are Human Too’ Photographs of children • DAIL gets its first full-time editor: Elspeth with disabilities and of disabled people in the Morrison. performing arts by Sam Tanner(Cockpit Gallery, • Opening of accessible darkroom at Camerawork WC1). Sam has also worked with Amici, Strathcona in Tower Hamlets by Ian Dury and The Frank and Double Exposure theatre companies taking Chickens. photos of them at work. • Theatre of Black Women present ‘The Cripple’ 14th January by Ruth Harris. Ruth Harris is a disabled person, • Discussion of representations of people with writes and directs this play ‘based on the true story disabilities, with Sam present to talk about his work. of Pauline Wiltshire, who was born in Jamaica and now lives in London’. February 1987 • Deaf artist Trevor Landell awarded place to study April 1987 for MA in print-making at Royal College of Arts. 25th April • Meeting of LDAF steering committee includes • ‘Disability - Our Arts, Our Culture, Live’ Launch ‘an enjoyable and interesting discussion on how of LDAF. (Watermans Centre, Brentford). we can deal with the problems of being involved in » LDAF voted