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Graeae Theatre Company

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Graeae Theatre Company, often abbreviated to Graeae (pronounced "grey-eye"), is a British organisation composed of deaf and disabled artists and theatre makers. As well as producing theatre which it tours nationally and internationally to traditional theatres and outdoor spaces, Graeae run a large and varied Creative Learning and training programme for emerging, young and mid-career deaf and disabled artists.

Graeae was founded in 1980[1] by Nabil Shaban, a disabled actor, writer and director,[2][3] and Richard Tomlinson, a life-long disability advocate.[4] The two met at Herewood College for the Disabled, were Shaban was a student and Tomlinson was a lecturer with a passion for the arts.[4] They named their company after the Graeae of Greek mythology. In 1981 the company was offered the use of an office, rehearsal space and facilities for 18 months by the West End Centre, an Arts Centre in Aldershot in Hampshire. During that year, the Company became eligible to receive full funding from the Arts Council of Great Britain.[5] Graeae are currently a National Portfolio Organisation of Arts Council England.[6]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, while live theatres were closed in the UK, the company produced two series of short video plays written by disabled artists entitled Crips Without Constraints. The first series were monologues while the second series were two-person plays.[7] In March 2021, the company announced that an archival recording of their 2017 co-production of The House of Bernarda Alba with the Royal Exchange Theatre would be made available online for a limited time.[8]

Jenny Sealey

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Jenny Sealey MBE has been artistic director and CEO since 1997,[9][10][11] and Amit Sharma joined as associate director in 2011. Sharma's first involvement with Graeae was as a participant on an actor training course, set up by Sealey,[12] addressing the lack of deaf and disabled people in theatre.[13] Sealey began her career as a deaf actor but made the transition to directing after applying for a Trainee Director position with the company Interplay.[14][15][9] She was awarded an MBE in 2009 for her work around disability in the arts.[16][9] She also co-directed the London 2012 Paralympic Opening Ceremony alongside Bradley Hemmings.[17][18][9] Nickie Miles-Wildin took over the role of associate director from Amit Sharma in 2019 and was a performer in the 2012 Paralympic Opening Ceremony.[19]

Repertoire

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Actors who have appeared with the company include Nadia Albina, Genevieve Barr, Laurence Clark, Mat Fraser, Beth Hinton-Lever, Arthur Hughes, Cherylee Houston, Aaron Virdee, Melissa Johns, John Kelly, Garry Robson, Nabil Shaban and Kiruna Stamell.

Graeae has produced plays by Jack Thorne, Sarah Kane, Jackie Hagan, Jo Clifford, David Ireland, Kaite O'Reilly, Lorca, Paul Sirett, Glyn Cannon and Sam Boardman-Jacobs.

Graeae has performed at the National Theatre, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Soho Theatre, Theatre Royal Stratford East, Traverse Theatre Edinburgh, Dundee Rep, Derby Theatre and Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester.

Productions

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  • Deck the Stalls- 2013[20]
  • The Limbless Knight - A Tale of Rights Reignited- 2013[21]
  • Signs of a Diva- 2014[22]
  • The Threepenny Opera- 2014[23]
  • Cosmic Scallies by Jackie Hagan- 2015[24]
  • Graeae's The Rollettes Christmas Show- 2016
  • The Solid Life of Sugar Water by Jack Thorne - 2016[25]
  • The Garden- 2016[26]
  • Reasons To Be Cheerful by Paul Sirett- 201[27]
  • The House of Bernarda Alba by Federico García Lorca- 2017[28]
  • Graeae's Midwich Cuckoos- 2017
  • Aruna and the Raging Sun- 2018[29]
  • Graeae's Ensemble 2018- Hurricane Protest Songs- 2018[30]
  • Courage Everywhere: And Others- 2018[31]
  • This Is Not For You- 2018[32]
  • Amy Dorrit- 2018[33]
  • Blasted by Sarah Kane- 2019[34]
  • One Under- 2019[35]
  • Three Sisters Rewired by Polly Thomas and Jenny Sealey- 2019[36]
  • Bartholomew Abominations by Paul Sirett- 2020[37]
  • 10 Nights by Shahid Iqbal Khan- 2021[38]
  • Night of the Living Flatpacks by Shahid Iqbal Khan, Michael Southan, Kathryn Golding, Anita Karla Kelly and Leanne Allen - 2021[39]
  • Kerbs by Michael Southan- 2022[40]
  • The Paradis Files- 2022[41]
  • This Woven O by Oliver Macdonald- 2022[42]
  • The Chatterleys by Mike Kenny- 2023[43]
  • The Festival of Rights: work in progress- 2023[44]
  • High Times and Dirty Monsters- 2023[45]
  • Self Raising by Jenny Sealey - 2024[46]

Awards

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In 1984 the Graeae Theatre Company won a Special Award in the Evening Standard Awards, and has since won numerous awards, including the Promotion of Diversity Award at the UK Theatre Awards 2012.[47] It also won the Euan's Guide Most Accessible Production for Jack Thorne's The Solid Life of Sugar Water at the 2015 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.[48]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The NDACA Timeline". National Disability Arts Collection & Archive. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  2. ^ "Nabil Shaban". National Disability Arts Collection & Archive. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  3. ^ "Nabil Shaban | Actor, Writer, Director". IMDb. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  4. ^ a b Astbury, Brian (2006-09-06). "Richard Tomlinson". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  5. ^ Wood, Alex (21 July 2020). "Graeae announces new initiative". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  6. ^ "2023-26 Investment Programme: Data". Arts Council England. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  7. ^ Akbar, Arifa (18 February 2021). "Crips Without Constraints review – five duos deliver sharp satire and tender drama". The Guardian.
  8. ^ "Graeae Re-Releases THE HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA For Women's History Month". broadwayworld.com. BroadwayWorld. 17 March 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  9. ^ a b c d "Jenny Sealey | A leader in the world of performing arts for people with disabilities The quest of Jenny Sealey | Performing Arts Network Japan". The Japan Foundation Performing Arts Network Japan. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  10. ^ "Interview – Jenny Sealey - Able Magazine". ablemagazine.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  11. ^ "Who We Are - Graeae". graeae.org. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  12. ^ "Interview – Jenny Sealey - Able Magazine". ablemagazine.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  13. ^ "Amit Sharma, Birmingham REP". birmingham.livingmag.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  14. ^ Neighbour, Flora (2022-04-01). "Graeae Theatre Company's Jenny Sealey discusses upcoming productions". City Matters. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  15. ^ "Jenny Sealey MBE: The Journey of a Deaf Artist in the World of Disability Arts - Leftlion - Nottingham Culture". leftlion.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  16. ^ "New Year's Honours 2009: CSV - GOV.UK". assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  17. ^ "Artistic Director Appointed for London 2012 Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  18. ^ "Rising to the challenge – interview with award winning artistic director Jenny Sealey about her solo show Self-Raising – Leeds Playhouse". Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  19. ^ "Nickie Miles-Wildin". Unlimited Theatre. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  20. ^ "Xmas show dates announced". mikscarlet.com. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  21. ^ "The Limbless Knight - A Tale of Rights Reignited; The Fairytale Without End". HuffPost UK. 2013-06-22. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  22. ^ Barry, Aoife (2014-02-16). "Breaking barriers: The deaf singer who signs songs like a diva". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  23. ^ Hickling, Alfred (2014-02-25). "Graeae's The Threepenny Opera: 'it dissipates the fear of disability'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  24. ^ Gardner, Lyn (2017-08-07). "Cosmic Scallies review – oddball friends seek hope in Skelmersdale". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  25. ^ Clapp, Susannah (2016-03-06). "The Solid Life of Sugar Water review – in bed with a catastrophe". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  26. ^ "Theatre review: The Garden at St Alfege Park, Greenwich". British Theatre Guide. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  27. ^ "Watch Graeae's Reasons To Be Cheerful - Stratford East". www.stratfordeast.com. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  28. ^ Hickling, Alfred (2017-02-08). "The House of Bernarda Alba review – Hunter is a domestic dictator in anti-fascist classic". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  29. ^ "Graeae: Aruna and the Raging Sun". Disability Arts Online. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  30. ^ "Graeae Ensemble's 'Hurricane Protest Songs' hits the head and the heart with one swift punch". Disability Arts Online. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  31. ^ "Graeae and National Theatre present 'And Others' as part of the Courage Everywhere Festival, London". Disability Arts Online. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  32. ^ Wyver, Kate (2018-07-02). "This Is Not for You review – a defiant cry from Britain's disabled veterans". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  33. ^ "Graeae Theatre's 'Amy Dorrit' brings Dicken's story into contemporary times in an adaptation for radio". Disability Arts Online. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  34. ^ Hambrook, Colin (2019-02-08). "Sarah Kane revisited through Graeae and RADA's production of BLASTED". Disability Arts Online. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  35. ^ Love, Catherine (2019-11-11). "One Under review – heartrendingly tender and enigmatic portrait of grief". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  36. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - Drama on 4, Three Sisters Rewired, Episode 1". BBC. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  37. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - Drama on 4, Bartholomew Abominations". BBC. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  38. ^ Akbar, Arifa (2021-10-19). "10 Nights review – funny, soulful play hijacked by lack of drama". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  39. ^ "Night of the Living Flatpacks – Naked Productions". Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  40. ^ Fisher, Mark (2022-03-03). "Kerbs review – tender comedy about the road to romance". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  41. ^ Ashley, Tim (2022-04-14). "The Paradis Files review – Graeae and Wallen breathe life into a woman of spirit and courage". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  42. ^ "This Woven O - Live entertainment in Woolwich, Greenwich". Visit Greenwich. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  43. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - Drama on 4, The Chatterleys (Part 1)". BBC. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  44. ^ "The Festival of Rights: Work in progress – Tower Hamlets CVS". 2023-02-25. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  45. ^ "High Times and Dirty Monsters | Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse theatres". www.everymanplayhouse.com. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  46. ^ Akbar, Arifa (2023-08-10). "Self-Raising review – growing up Deaf in a family of secrets". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  47. ^ Brown, Ismene (29 October 2012). "There are more theatre-goers than football-goers". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  48. ^ Stephenson, Alison (19 January 2016). "A beautifully evocative new play". Tavistock Times Gazette. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
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