Ground-breaking mini-festival A Bit Of A Do will return for its third year early next month with three days of inclusive entertainment at Stanley Halls in London.
Created by theatre company and charity Drunken Chorus, the packed free programme will run from 5-7 July in South Norwood.
Working with partners including British Sign Language (BSL) consultants, a visually impaired theatre company, local apprentices with learning disabilities, disability charities, artists and audiences, the popular annual event aims to empower artists to create and access theatre and dance.
Pointing to recent Government and Arts Council surveys that found that while 21% of people living in the UK identified as having a disability only 4% of those working in the arts in England identified as disabled, A Bit Of A Do attempts to address this disparity, highlight issues of under-representation and promote the work of talented artists with or without disabilities.
The 2019 festival will include performances from Candoco Dance Company, the first contemporary dance company to perform on Strictly Come Dancing, deaf BSL singer and comedian Caroline Parker and multi-award-winning writer, performer and broadcaster Byron Vincent.
There will also be solo contributions from award-winning choreographer and performance artist Lanre Malaolu and Extant, specialists in creating ground-breaking performances by, and for the visually impaired.
Announcing this year’s festival line-up, joint artistic director, Chris Williams said: “We are excited for the return of A Bit Of A Do. The emphasis of the festival is to create a high quality and engaging programme accessible to all artists and audiences.
“We want to create a festival where inclusivity and access are embedded in the whole process – not just an afterthought. We’ve got some really amazing artists and companies performing this year. From comedy and cabaret to dance and theatre, with workshops and seminars thrown in too, the festival keeps getting bigger and better.”
With accessibility at the heart of the event, A Bit Of A Do offers free access, sign language and enhanced performances for the visually impaired. The organisers will also run a training programme for local people with learning disabilities who will become front of house staff for the festival.
Angela Thomas
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