Weren't You Expecting Me?

Weren't You Expecting Me? is a year-long Imaginate project led by Caroline.
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The presence of visibly disabled performers in performance work targeted at young audiences is incredibly rare. As a direct response to this realisation, over the next year Caroline will be taking a closer look at the impact, if any, that this may have on the live performance experience that disabled and non-disabled children have particularly looking at the effect on aspirations, self-esteem and overall perceptions of disability. She will also be talking to the industry and performance makers about their experiences, choices and identifying areas for future growth and change.

Throughout 2017 Caroline will work with Imaginate to explore the following questions:

• Where/who are the disabled artists in Scotland?
• How many of them are thinking/about making work for young audiences?
•  Are disabled children, and their families seeing/engaging with performance?
  If not, why not?
• What prevents disabled children seeing performance?
• Do disabled audiences actually need different things?
• Who is including disabled performers in their work?
• Are there relevant conferences/symposium discussing this work?
• Is bespoke performance relevant/possible?
  
  

This project will create time for Caroline to meet with the young audiences sector and to talk with disabled artists who are interested in making work for children.  There will also be a series of workshops led by leading disabled artists and some discussion events including one at Edinburgh International Children's Festival.
If you would like to talk to us about this project, you can contact Fiona Ferguson, Creative Development Director for Imaginate.