Devon’s biggest theatre is shining the spotlight on a group of individuals often left in the shadows, discovers Su Carroll.
Plymouth’s Theatre Royal has a mission to allow as many people as possible the chance to engage with live performances. Physical and practical accessibility is important, but the theatre has gone above and beyond to welcome differently abled people.
This year the theatre is celebrating the tenth anniversary of its groundbreaking initiative Funky Llama which works with the disabled community and people who identify as neurologically diverse.
Sara Rhodes, engagement manager at Theatre Royal Plymouth, has been working on Funky Llama since the beginning and says she’s really excited to be celebrating the tenth anniversary.
‘We wanted to know what does this community, their families and their carers, feel like they need?’ she says. ‘The Theatre Royal is always striving for excellence and opportunity for everyone and we have taken the approach of the community working together to be the best that it can be. With Funky Llama, we have enabled this community to be at the heart of the conversation. It gave people the chance to grow and develop and understand. It’s totally about having that moment to shine.’
A steering group of Funky Llama participants help with understanding what people need and making sure that everyone feels safe. There are regular workshops and events and there have been festivals on the Hoe.
‘We wanted it to be about inclusivity, rather than about disability,’ says Sara. ‘They just want what everybody else wants. We didn’t want it to be like sitting at the back of the room at the school disco. Just because you’ve got Downs Syndrome, it doesn’t mean you don’t want to come and enjoy the disco. The disabled community really does feel heard through Funky Llama.’
A lot has changed in the past ten years. When relaxed performances were first introduced for shows like the Christmas pantomime, auditoriums were half-full. The 2022 panto - Sleeping Beauty with Shane Richie – was a sell-out. The theatre works with the company on what to expect and feedback is that the relaxed performance of the panto last Christmas was the favourite of the run.
Behind the scenes, staff have been learning how to welcome patrons with access requirements.
‘A few years ago there was a fear of people getting things wrong,’ admits Sara. ‘They didn’t know how to address audience members and they worried about what was the right thing to say. The theatre can be an intimidating environment and there was an anxiety about being in the dark, or the noise, or the lights. We wanted to invite everyone in and now we are offering more opportunities for relaxed and children’s performances.
‘We have a steering group who advise us what works. There are lots of different layers. We had someone with autism write reports to make it more autism friendly, which have been really helpful. It’s direct from the mouth of someone who has that lived experience.
‘The world has changed in these ten years. We are starting to see more disabled people on stage and TV. People are more embracing and accepting of the differences. Storylines are reflecting that and it’s becoming part of popular culture.
‘We’ve worked with Drag Syndrome, a collective of Downs Syndrome artists who use drag to express themselves. They’ve been in Vogue and on Ru Paul’s Drag Race and they have been travelling the world. People with that extra chromosome don’t want to sit in the shadows any more. They want to be seen on TV, screen and stage.
‘We can’t take community for granted. An evening at the theatre with family and friends is all about feeling connected.’
