Suzanne Lofthus was a painfully shy teenager. One day, a friend took her to a Youth Theatre in Aberdeen.
I’ll never forget that feeling when I stepped into the room. This was where I fitted in. I’d found my tribe. The youth theatre became a place of safety where I could express myself, be silly and create. It fuelled a dream that led me to create amateur drama groups and ultimately my own theatre company in Edinburgh. Everyone should have equal access to the performing arts as audience members, participants and professionals. We have seen some amazing transformations in participants, simply by taking part in drama classes.
We use drama techniques to improve confidence, self-esteem and communication skills. These skills are great for doing drama, but they spill over into everyday living as well, and they can have a transformative effect on people’s lives. Our work is not geared towards productions but more about encouraging individuals on their own journey to confidence and exploring their own creativity.
Recently, Scottish Screen contacted us to do some research into how to creatively support disabled people into work behind the camera. There is a distinct lack of positive representation of disabled people in the UK. Disabled people should be able to work professionally in the creative arts industries.
There are initiatives in Scotland to support drama training, but there are no formalised drama training courses specifically for learning disabled people. And it’s not just about playing drama games. We include training in Voice, Movement, Acting for Camera, and experience in partnership with local theatres. It’s not just about being a star onstage but showing them that they too could have a career in the performing arts on or off stage.
Our dream is to see professional courses established in Scotland, where learning disabled people can train along with their peers in a supported environment. We have looked at other training models in the UK and the one that is probably closest to what we dream of are the courses run by Hijinx Theatre in Wales, who satellite their courses around the country. Any disabled person should be able to have access to drama classes anywhere in Scotland.
We’d encourage anyone to step into the room. They might find it’s where they belong.
