Arts access and participation

What arts access and participation looks like in my work

Arts access and participation is the work I do when a producer engages me to support a production, often a tour, going around the country. I am called in to work with the different venues on the tour to find out what kind of access they are giving to schools, communities and the wider public, and to help them do more of it.

I introduce myself to each venue, explain that I am there to support, and bring ideas they may have considered and ideas they may not have. The aim is to identify the barriers in the way of particular groups coming to see the show, and to find a way around them.

The barriers I help remove

Sometimes it is not about whether people want to come. It is about what is in the way. The barriers I see most often are practical and they are removable.

• Transport – particularly for school groups and community groups travelling to a venue
• Finance – ticket prices, but also the cost of the trip overall
• Time – show times that do not fit a school timetable or a community group’s schedule
• Information – the right people not knowing the show is on or who it is for
• Trust – communities who do not yet know the venue and need to feel welcome before they book

I work with the venue and the producer to spot these barriers and to design ways around them, whether that is a different performance time, a transport partnership, a community pricing tier, or a clear access invitation that lands with the right people.

How an arts access engagement runs

A typical engagement regarding a tour looks something like this.

• I get a brief from the producer about the production, the access ambitions and the audiences you want to reach
• I work venue by venue, contacting and meeting the local team
• I find out what they are already doing on access, who they are reaching, and where the gaps are
• I bring ideas and contacts, particularly schools and community groups that might not be on the venue’s existing list
• I help them turn ambitions into practical, deliverable access activity for the run of the show
• I report back to you regularly so you have a clear picture of what is happening at every stop

Who arts access and participation is for

This service is a particularly good fit if you are:

• A producer running a national or regional tour and wanting consistent access support across venues
• A venue programming a production with strong access potential, particularly for schools or under-served communities
• An arts organisation putting on a season with access targets and a small in-house team
• A new work in development where access is built into the project from the start

Why this matters

Access is not an extra. For so many people, the difference between a wonderful first arts experience and never coming at all is one practical barrier in the way. Removing that barrier is some of the most important work I do, and it is some of the most rewarding.

That young person who has never been to a theatre, that family who has never been to an exhibition, that school whose timetable has always clashed with the matinee, those are the audiences this service is for.

What you get when you work with me on access

• A consultant who has worked across schools, community groups, families and access programmes for decades
• Practical, on-the-ground problem solving for tour and venue access challenges
• Honest reporting on what is working at each venue and what is not
• A genuine, personable presence on the road for your production