Making Connections was a theatre residency for adults with learning difficulties. Participants would make and perform a play about social issues that mattered to them. The residency was being co-ordinated by Cleveland Arts, who were employing Mind The Gap; a professional theatre production company who had an international reputation for their groundbreaking work.
Mind The Gap were pioneers of new forms of inclusive theatre practice, employing people with learning difficulties within integrated casts of actors who toured their productions nationally.
The Making Connections residency was hosted at Arc in Stockton, from Monday February 5th to Monday March 26th, followed by an intensive full week of rehearsals from Monday April 2nd, ending with a performance on the afternoon of Friday April 6th.
During the residency, participants would learn new theatre techniques, they would help to write a new play about social issues that mattered to them and they would put on a performance in the main theatre at Arc.
To be able to join the Making Connections programme, you had to be over 18 and have a learning difficulty. In addition, potential participants would need to have a special interest in theatre – in acting, in backstage ‘production’, or both. We were especially interested in applicants’ talents and enthusiasm.